


Can You Feel Life, Movin’ Through Your Mind?

by FierySprites



Category: Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, Fate/stay night (Visual Novel), Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Archer Has Headaches, Bazett is Confused, Being Sakura is Suffering, Bonding, Caster Has Regrets, Crossover, Eggman Being Eggman, Ensemble Cast, Fate/Stay Night spoilers, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Knuckles Doesn’t Chuckle, Lancer is Bored, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mild Language, One-Shot Collection, Revenge, Rin is Screaming, Rouge’s Doing Her Best, Self-Esteem Issues, Shadow and Illya Are Frightening, Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic and Shirou Are Bros, Spoilers, Trauma, don’t ask why the Fate cast is here, they just are
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:48:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 29,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28624350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FierySprites/pseuds/FierySprites
Summary: In which(most of)the participants of the Fifth Holy Grail War are inexplicably transported to Mobius… just in time for the second Space Colony ARK incident.Save the world, or conquer it? Six pairs of Masters and Servants make their choice.(A crossover betweenSonic Adventure 2andFate/stay night, comprised of various interconnected one-shots. Spoilers for the latter are featured.)
Relationships: Bazett Fraga McRemitz & Knuckles the Echidna, Dr. Eggman | Dr. Robotnik & Medea | Caster, Emiya Shirou & Sonic the Hedgehog, Illyasviel von Einzbern & Shadow the Hedgehog, Matou Sakura & Rouge the Bat, Miles "Tails" Prower & Tohsaka Rin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	1. Multidimensional Soundtrack

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Fate/Genesis](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/739560) by Cybertoy00. 

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Can you feel life, movin’ through your mind?  
>  Ooooooh, looks like it came back for more!  
>  **Yea-a-ah!**_
> 
> _Can you feel time, slippin’ down your spine?_  
>  _Ooooooh, you try and try to ignore!  
>  **Yeaaaah~!**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the _Sonic_ universe, this fic is set at various points during the events of _Sonic Adventure 2._ There are no major spoilers featured for the game, barring implications about Shadow’s motivations and Rouge’s allegiances. Some minor plot points are borrowed from Taranea’s _[Shadow the Hedgehog – First Class](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10785555/1/Shadow-the-Hedgehog-First-Class)._
> 
> For the Nasuverse, the cast are pulled from an unspecified point early in _Fate/stay night’s_ plot, with no emphasis on any of the three routes. Some sizable amount of spoilers are featured for said VN and _Fate/hollow ataraxia_ —mostly regarding characters’ identities and motivations (and also Bazett).
> 
> The title is (naturally) derived from the lyrics to _Live and Learn,_ by Crush 40.

* * *

The Mad Convoy Race …for Sonic, Shirou & Saber

* * *

**Central City  
** **Downtown Streets**

_“Attention, all units. The suspects have been seen heading south. Block all major roads and capture the suspects.”_

Three figures were barreling down the streets of Central City. A horde of robots were combing the city for them, part of which was already littered with several of their broken bodies. Reports of their ‘criminal acts’ had long since been brought onto the news and beyond, from everyone’s curiosity burning bright.

At first glance, thus might seem like just another high-octane chase between some criminals and the military—and on any other day, **Shirou Emiya** probably wouldn’t have given it a second thought.

However, when it was _him and **Saber**_ being pursued, in another world with a speedy blue hedgehog—who also happened to be _a real, legitimate hero_ here—

…that made the situation a lot more intimate, to say the least.

Oh, and there was a _humongous truck as wide as the frickin’ **road**_ pursuing them as they went, crashing into cars and other objects with zero abandon.

_As if things weren’t wild enough already…!_

“Whoa, talk about exciting!” the aforementioned speedster remarked— **Sonic the Hedgehog** , purported Fastest Thing Alive. “They’re really pulling out all the stops to catch us! I gotta admit, I’m almost impressed!”

“Pardon me for my bluntness, but I don’t exactly share such sentiments,” Saber cut in, a small sweatdrop rolling down her head. “In fact, I’m rather appalled by the unnecessary show of force from this nation’s army. Do they not have any regard for the innocents caught up in this!?”

“This can’t be legal, either…!” Shirou gulped, riding on a spare plank ‘liberated’ earlier from the G.U.N. helicopter (how he was steering it this well, he had no idea). “What the heck do they have against you!? For someone who’s saved the world multiple times, they’re sure eager to treat you—and us—as the villains!”

The unlikely trio swerved around another tailpin corner, barely keeping ahead of the impending doom approaching from behind.

“G.U.N.’s never been a fan of my heroics,” Sonic conceded—“though, it’s not like they’ve been very successful at dealing with Eggman the way I have. Whoever’s framed me for stealing that Chaos Emerald from the Federal Reserve—”

(which was concerning in and of itself, judging by what he’d told them about the gemstones’ power)

“—G.U.N. was probably all too happy to use it as an excuse to take me in. It’s almost like they’re willingly forgetting how I helped during the Square Flood! Ugh…!”

Shirou considered that fact. This world, Mobius, seemed so fantastical at first: a never-ending stream of beautiful, diverse biomes; a level of technology beyond anything he’d ever seen; humans and Mobians, peacefully co-existing and living together—

But just like Earth, it wasn’t perfect. Not in the slightest.

~~(The Great Fire of Fuyuki, the flooding of Station Square… there’d always be a price to pay, no layer where you went.)~~

Despite all of that, though… Shirou was still excited at the wondrous reality set before his eyes.

This was a world of carefree magic.

This was a world of unparalleled heroism.

This was a world where he could actually, genuinely fulfill his dream— alongside somebody who was more than willing to lend him a hand every step of the way.

“Whatever the case may be,” Shirou resolved, “we can’t let this slide. We’ll clear your name and stop whoever’s behind all of this!”

_As a Hero of Justice, I can’t do anything less._

Even as they were speeding down the road, Sonic raised an eyebrow at the orange-haired teen. There was something in his voice that he couldn’t help but recognize: a steel-minded determination to do what’s right.

“You’re really committed to being a hero, huh?” he hummed. “Heh… I can’t say I don’t like your spirit! You and Saber are one heck of a pair—if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you two were soulmates!”

The corner of Saber’s lips tinged upward. “Not quite how I’d describe us, but… I suppose there are worse things to be labeled as.” While she had her reservations with everything that was going on—such as being stuck in an unfamiliar world, far outside the domain of the Holy Grail War—she was… admittedly fine working with Sonic and Shirou.

They were good teammates. Good acquaintances, even.

~~(And she sorely needed that after how her last partnership went and ended.)~~

The cobalt hedgehog put his focus back on the road and grinned. “Alright, then—‘nuff messin’ about! C’mon, you two, let’s show this hunk of junk what we’re made of!” He rolled up into a ball and dashed away, at an even faster pace than his previous velocity.

“Wh-Whoa!” Shirou’s eyes widened – he wasn’t yet used to seeing someone so speedy dash so flippantly away. “H-Hey, Sonic— _wait up!”_

He kicked away at the floor in an attempt to catch up, a sight which made the resident swordswoman sigh and shake her head.

“We still have a long way to go, it seems…” she remarked, right before she sped up her own movement.

_But then again… that’s not a bad thing, in and of itself._

* * *

Vengeance is Mine …for Shadow, Illya & Berserker

* * *

**Central City  
** **Radical Highway**

_“Hahahahahahahaha! Go, Berserker, go! Tear them all to shreds!”_

**_“ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAR!”_ **

Three figures were wreaking havoc on the Golden Gate Bridge, blasting through all the G.U.N. robots and aircraft being sent their way.

They were irregular in every sense of the word: a black-and-red hedgehog, a winter-dressed albino child, and a humongous beast of a Servant. Insane didn’t even _begin_ to describe their level—if G.U.N. managed to reacquire them, as they so desperately wanted to, their powers could easily be harnessed for all sorts of purposes.

Pity, then, that this trio was putting their all into making that a firm impossibility.

“Pathetic humans,” **Shadow the Hedgehog** , Mobius’s Ultimate Lifeform, sneered. “Do they really think this is enough to stop _me?”_

“Maybe,” **Illyasviel von Einzbern** chimed in, dissonantly cheerful despite the wanton destruction of… well, literally everything they were coming across. “But that’s okay! I’ve always liked getting new toys to play with.” More vindictively, she added, “It’s good practice for when I finally get my hands on onii-chan.”

As her Servant **Berserker** continued to scatter robot carcasses all over the floor, Shadow couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

“‘Onii-chan’…? That is an… unfamiliar term to me.” He adjusted his Inhibitor Rings and hummed. “Exactly who are you referring to, might I ask?”

From her place beside the black hedgehog, her smile slipped and fell.

It was clear that whoever this ‘onii-chan’ was, he had had an incredibly profound effect on Illya—much in the same way Maria’s death had permanently influenced him.

It took a couple of seconds before she found her voice again.

“…somebody who took everything from me,” she finally stated. “It’s his fault. It’s his fault Papa never came back.”

That could’ve meant almost anything, but her clear anguish was enough to meaningfully convey her point.

Ordinarily, Shadow would’ve left things at that. He was the type of person to hyperfocus on a single mission, at the expense of almost everything else. Why bother getting to know his so-called ‘teammates’, when they’d all be dead either way?

But…

…there was something about Illyasviel that made him pause.

Something about her that he couldn’t let go, even if he wanted to.

_~~She reminds me of…~~ _

“…tell me more,” he implored her.

Her lip quivered.

~~(Could it be that he understood…?~~

~~Understood exactly what it was she had lost…?)~~

“…my Papa. He… went off to fight in a war for my family, ten years ago. He promised he’d win for them. That he’d come back for me. He never did.

“He—He gave up, right when he was just about to win. Then he just—adopted another child, like _I didn’t even matter to him.”_

Shadow grimaced.

That was—

No matter how you sliced it, that was just a cruel thing to do to a child(?) like her.

“That’s why I’m going to take onii-chan,” she growled. “That’s why I’m going to make Shirou Emiya mine. I’ll make it so that he won’t ever leave me; that he’ll only love me and no one else. I promise him—that is my _revenge.”_

“…I see,” Shadow said.

He himself had a vendetta against humanity for what G.U.N. had done to his only friend, Maria. It was what he had promised her, what her dying wish to him was ~~(even if that didn’t quite sound right in his mind)~~.

And it was then that it hit him.

_…me and Maria._

_That’s who she reminds me of. Me, and Maria._

She was like a fusion of both of them. Their best aspects, and their worst.

Her adolescence, his resolve.

Her innocence, his bitterness.

_…hah. Perhaps it was fate that we met at this time._

“If that is what you wish, then so mote it be. Far it be for me to deny you what rightfully belongs to you.” Tenderly, the Ultimate Lifeform took her hand. “One way or another, both of us will exact vengeance on those who have wronged us. On that, you have my word.”

“Then swear it.” She looked at Shadow with an expression close to tears. “Swear to me that you won’t leave me too.”

“I swear it. Until our quests have been satisfied, I’ll stay by your side.”

A feeling akin to relief took over her face. “That’s—That’s good. You better not break your promise, Shadow,” she said—firmly, if childishly. “‘Cause if you do, I won’t hesitate to make Berserker destroy you!”

The muscular titan let out a low hum in agreement.

Shadow smirked. “Personally, I think I could take him—but rest assured, I keep to my pledges.”

All of a sudden, another troupe of G.U.N. Hunters and Hornets surrounded the trio, pointing their various guns at them and locking on.

None of the three looked particularly affected by this ambush.

“Hmph,” the hedgehog huffed. “Still, they insist on quantity over quality… it’s almost as if they _want_ us to destroy their creations.”

He summoned a series of yellow energy spears into his hand, while Illya cut off several strands of her hair to create crystallized bird familiars.

“In that case,” the homunculus sang, “let’s give ‘em a taste of the retribution we’ve got up our sleeves. Oh, _Berserker~”_

The Einzbern Servant roared furiously at the gathered forces, and the three villains shot off to trash their malevolent welcoming party.

As for the destruction that ensued…?

…it couldn’t be described as anything less than ‘ **A Rank** ’-worthy.

* * *

This Way Out …for Tails, Rin & Archer

* * *

**Prison Island  
** **Airspace**

“I can’t believe that Emiya-kun! Getting arrested by the military… when I find him, I’m gonna teach ‘im a lesson he’ll never forget!”

Three figures were flying unauthorized into a classified military zone, hidden by a stealth engine installed into the blue monoplane they were riding on.

They were an eclectic trio: a yellow kitsune and a red-dressed girl sat in the dual cockpits, each of them having twin tails of their own (one in a literal sense, the other only hair-wise). The last of them – a white-haired tan man also clad in red – was sitting on a platform being carted by the jet, his eyes closed and his arms crossed.

The girl— **Rin Tohsaka** , Second Owner of Fuyuki and classical tsundere, through and through—was grousing about a certain brownie loudly. _Very_ loudly.

“Seriously, I know we’re in another world and all, but he should know better than to throw himself into danger like that! He may have Saber and Sonic on his side, but neither of them have the firepower to fight _an entire military!”_

And **Miles ‘Tails’ Prower** , mechanical genius and Sonic’s primary sidekick, had to sit through all of it.

He briefly shot a tired glance at the school idol. “Rin, I get that you’re annoyed by and all, but you don’t have to scream it into my ear. It’s not as if any of us could’ve seen this coming.”

She slouched in her seat. “…it’s still stupid,” she groused, more quietly. “At least back home, we could hypnotize away anything suspicious. Here, _everyone_ knows about magic, there’s a _terrorist_ on the loose, the _Mage’s Association_ doesn’t exist… and I can’t do anything to save Emiya-kun. Not under my own power.”

And boy, did that sting to admit.

Under normal circumstances, you couldn’t ever force such a confession from Rin’s mouth—she was too prideful to let such a vulnerability be revealed out in the open.

But here, in this unknown world, stripped bare of almost everything she had ever known…

…denying the truth would only lead to disaster.

 **Archer** —her Servant, perched a fair distance away—looked away upon hearing her dialogue.

 _~~So much has already changed, in such a short time…~~ _ ~~he internally mused.~~

_~~And this situation… Heroes getting locked up by authority, on the whims of a government that doesn’t care about them…~~ _

_~~(…it’s way too familiar for my liking.)~~ _

“Like it or not, that’s the way life can be,” he stated, somewhat grimly. “Sometimes, we’re just at the whim of whatever fate has prepared for us. All we can do is deal with the hands we’re given.”

…

“That’s… rather depressing,” Tails remarked.

“Jeez, what kind of Heroic Spirit are you?” Rin shook her head. “Are you _really_ sure you don’t remember anything about your life?”

“It’s as I tell you, Rin,” he shrugged nonchalantly—“I have my powers and my purpose, but not my name nor my origin. Nevertheless, I still retain my blades and my bows – and we’ll need every advantage we can get if we’re gonna get out of this mess alive.”

Tails nodded. “Archer’s right about that. Look ahead—we’re almost there.”

The two out-of-worlders lifted their eyes toward the horizon, and beheld their destination: a green patch of land, encircled by several identifiable military vessels (and a few loop-de-loops, for some reason?).

Rin gulped. “I don’t like the looks of this place…”

“There’s no mistake about it. This is **Prison Island** ,” the kitsune confirmed. “Sonic’s gotta be here—they keep all prisoners with unique powers here for trial. It’s supposed to be reinforced and super impenetrable.”

“Maybe for most others on this planet,” Archer said—“but for us…”

He smirked, twin black-and-white blades falling into his grasp.

“…we’ll be more than enough to pry open a breach.”

“You can say that again!” Tails put some goggles on, similarly ready for a raid like no other. “There’s no way I’m gonna let Sonic rot in prison – and the same thing goes for Shirou and Saber!”

~~(Unbidden, one jealous thought rose to the top of Archer’s head.~~

**_~~I~~ _ ** _~~never had anyone willing to stage a jailbreak for me…)~~ _

The Tohsaka Master let out a small breath.

_We’re really doing this, huh…?_

_Fine, then._

Maybe this wasn’t what she had been training her entire life for, and maybe this went against most of her principles as a top-class Magus.

That didn’t matter. She wasn’t about to let two allies rot in prison, not with the threat of all the other Master-Servant pairs still looming.

~~Yeah, that was her only reason. N-No doubt about it!~~

She loaded up her cache of gems and steeled herself for the approaching trials.

“Wait for us, Saber, Emiya-kun. We’re gonna save you. Both of you.”

(That was the least she could do for them.)

* * *

Event: Conquest …for Eggman, Caster & Assassin

* * *

**Space Colony ARK  
** **Central Control Room**

_“Citizens of Mobius, lend me your ears and listen to me very carefully!”_

Three figures were standing in front of the Space Colony ARK’s central terminal, two of them watching as the infamous mad scientist **Dr. Eggman** at last set in motion the denouement of his latest and greatest scheme.

_“My name is Dr. Eggman, the world’s greatest scientist—and soon to be the world’s greatest ruler.”_

The Eclipse Cannon was whirring loudly, increasing in volume as it siphoned energy from the Chaos Emeralds. The six gemstones themselves were glowing brightly as well—a sight which was very much music to the doctor’s ears.

For most other villains—Eggman included—this was a moment to be celebrated. A moment of triumph.

_“I have in my possession a weapon of ultimate power, one that can devastate your pitiful world as you know it.”_

For **Caster** , once known as Princess Medea of Colchis…

…this was a moment of unease and uncertainty.

She bit her lip, her expression obscured by her hood.

She wouldn’t lie: she wasn’t what you’d call the most… noble of individuals.

She was selfish; she was cruel. She’d fight tooth and nail to bring her desires to fruition.

But no matter how heinous her crimes could get… she _did_ have lines she’d never cross.

Dr. Eggman, on the other hand, had no such compulsions.

_“If you wish to continue with your lives, then heed my words. From this moment forward, you are all citizens of the great Eggman Empire!”_

Her own Servant, **Assassin** , was similarly a fair bit uncomfortable. As affable as he was, even he would rather be anywhere else right then and there.

“…jeez, he sure loves the sound of his own voice,” he remarked, frowning intently. “If I’m being honest, I’d guess that’s half the reason he’s even doing this in the first place.”

“That… wouldn’t surprise me,” Caster quietly admitted. She’d seen the inside of his Hidden Base; his image had been plastered basically all over the place. If that wasn’t a big enough testament to his ego, then nothing was. “If it wasn’t for his firepower and resources, I’d stay far away from him.”

_“And if you doubt my claims… then allow me to show you the error of your ways.”_

Unfortunately, she and Assassin had the poor fortune of crashlanding straight at Eggman’s doorstep—and in order to avoid getting killed by him (and hopefully secure a reliable source of energy for herself), she had struck up an alliance of convenience with him.

 _I’m beginning to regret ever working for this… foul doctor,_ she thought. _But I no longer have a choice._

_Whether I want to or not… I’m in this for the long haul._

_“Now, witness the beginning of the greatest empire_ **_of all time!”_ **

Glancing toward the computer, she watched as the bottom of the ARK exploded to reveal… the Eclipse Cannon, shaped painfully similarly to Eggman’s own visage.

Caster blinked.

_I… I guess the narcissism runs in the family._

The ‘mouth’ of the cannon opened wide, an orb of cyan light forming at its core—and then, it fired straight ahead.

But it wasn’t aiming at Mobius. Oh no.

It was aiming for the _moon._

The effects were immediate, and instantaneous.

Half the crust was blown off, exposing the molten core beneath. No longer was it a perfect spherical satellite—a permanent crescent was all that remained.

Assassin gawked. Inwardly, Caster was doing the same.

“Holy shit,” he said.

 _Holy shit,_ she swore.

This weapon… it was incredibly powerful, moreso than anything Saber or even Berserker could levy at her. It lived up to its name and then some—with six Emeralds alone, Eggman could raze several cities inside just a single week.

If he managed to get his hands on the final Chaos Emerald…

_“Bwahahahahahaha… HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”_

…the consequences would be unthinkable.

The mad scientist turned around and met Caster and Assassin’s faces with a humongous grin. “This is _perfect!_ The whole world is within my grasp now—and I have you two and Shadow to thank for that. I hope you will continue to work with me, Caster, Assassin. We still have quite a ways more to go—and plenty more things I would love to accomplish with you.”

The Witch of Betrayal kept her face carefully neutral.

“Hmm… it would be foolish of me to back out now,” she said. “So long as you can keep this lead up, I will continue to assist however I can.”

_And perhaps, I can find a way to escape this disaster intact._

Assassin shrugged, falling back into a seemingly apathetic façade. “It’s not like I can go anywhere else. Just try not to blow up the planet before I can get a fight with Saber in. It’d be a great honor to fight her in a space station like this, and I can’t do that if she’s blown up beforehand.”

“That’s easy enough to arrange,” Eggman waved a hand. “If I know Sonic and his insipid friends, they can’t have missed my little display. When they inevitably come to thwart me… _that’s_ when we’ll go in for the kill! Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho!”

_…well, at least **two of us** here have something to look forward to._

* * *

A Ghost’s Pumpkin Soup …for Knuckles, Bazett & Lancer

* * *

**Pumpkin Hill  
** **Church Mountain**

“You know, of all the things I expected to do in life… treasure hunting in a haunted canyon wasn’t one of them.”

Three figures had found themselves in an… incredibly peculiar locale, even by Mobius’s wild and diverse standards.

A valley of pumpkin-themed mountains stretched out as far as the eye could see, backdropped by a spooky twilight sky. Scarecrows and sinister trees decorated the area alongside a veritable avalanche of pumpkins, and one could hear the horn of a train echo from the cliffs above.

This place—Pumpkin Hill… ‘Halloween come early’ was the only possible way to describe it.

And there just so happened to be a signal from the Master Emerald in this region.

Joy.

 **Knuckles the Echidna** hated this place already.

“Me neither,” he replied to his spandex-wearing companion. “If it were up to me, I’d stay far away from this kind of zone. But I don’t exactly have a choice here.”

 **Lancer** crossed his arms. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. You’ve got your duty, and all that. I just wish I had something more to do. I came to the Grail War for the fights, and I’ve barely gotten any of that!”

The red powerhouse snorted. “And I thought Sonic was hyperactive… if that’s the case, then, I’m surprised you didn’t try to go after that Rider lady. She seemed up your alley.”

“Tch. Maybe if she hadn’t run off with her Master and that bat girl.” His lips pursed in contemplation. “Though, I could’ve sworn her Master was this pathetic seaweed kid… wonder what’s up with that?”

The two were cut off by a rather exasperated groan. Off to the side, **Bazett Fraga McRemitz** stood by a nearby chapel top, nursing a headache that was clearly only getting worse and worse.

“I still have _no idea_ what’s going on,” she confessed. “How is it that you two can take this all in stride…? I’m so lost, I can’t even quantify it…”

Both fighting freaks glanced at one another, concerned.

Of the multitude of foreigners hailing from Fuyuki City, Bazett was arguably the most confused of the bunch. From the moment she landed on Angel Island, she was a half-stumbling mess: constantly poking at her arm, gawking at literally single new thing she saw…

Knuckles wasn’t exactly an expert, but he was pretty sure she had some form of trauma weighing her down.

_~~Really wish Tikal was with me right now… She’d be better at this than me.~~ _

“To be fair, I’ve lived on Mobius my entire life,” Knuckles replied, “even if most of that was spent up on Angel Island. After a while, you learn to just… go with the flow.”

“Easy for you to say…” Bazett sighed, utterly dejected. “You weren’t bleeding out and limbless not two weeks ago.”

The echidna grimaced.

_And if **that** doesn’t scream lingering hang-ups, I don’t know what does._

Thank Chaos for the Master Emerald – if it hadn’t had healed her (somehow), this probably would’ve been even _more_ discomforting.

Lancer scratched the back of his head. “Oh, boy… I’m no good with this—but…”

He walked to his Master twice-over and put his hand on her shoulder. “Hey. Bazett, cheer up. You couldn’t have known that shitty priest would betray you like that. He just caught you off-guard.”

“I shouldn’t have _been_ taken off-guard, though. I’m an Enforcer. I should’ve done something, anything.”

“And _I_ should’ve been able to stop Chaos three years ago, but there’s no use reflecting over stuff we can’t change.” Knuckles crossed his arms—kind of difficult, given the Shovel Claws on his gloves—and gave the magenta-haired lady a warm smile. “All we can do is learn from our mistakes and grow, as best we can.”

“What he said,” said the Child of Light. “I’ve made my fair share of mistakes, too, and I’m pretty good at what I do. C’mon, where’s that Master I was so proud to have?”

She looked into Lancer’s eyes, and then Knuckles’.

“…well, I guess that’s not the worst pick-me-up speech I’ve ever been given.”

She pushed herself off the wall and cracked her knuckles.

“Enough feeling sorry for myself. I’m not dead, I’ve got my Servant back, and I’m definitely ready for Kotomine now, if I ever see him again. We’ve got Emerald shards to find, and I’ll be damned if I don’t help _ouuuu—WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?”_

Bazett abruptly stood up straight, one finger pointed right behind Knuckles and Lancer.

The duo blinked, before slowly turning around to stare at said direction.

[A big-ass ghost greeted them, smiling with sharp teeth and yellowed eyes.](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/sonic/images/1/1a/Boo-Sonic-Runners.png/revision/latest?cb=20151106152603)

_“WAA— **WAAAAAAAAAH!”** _Knuckles yelped, reeling back in shock. _“A—A **GHOST!!!”**_

Lancer instinctively moved to attack with his spear, but the only thing that happened was the specter fading away with a sinister giggle.

Both the echidna and the Enforcer breathed heavily, eyes wide.

“Okay, _that’s_ definitely new,” Lancer remarked, eyebrow raised in curiosity. “I didn’t think we had to deal with stereotypical _ghosts,_ too.”

 _“And_ would you look at that,” Knuckles loudly said—“it’s time to get back to work! I think I sensed an Emerald shard that way, _let’s go!”_

“S-Sure! Sounds like a good idea!”

Knuckles proceeded to leap off the cliff, followed closely by a rune-powered Bazett.

Lancer wasn’t exactly sure what all the fuss was about, but he simply shrugged and let it rub off of him.

“Eh, whatever gets us to a good opponent faster.”

He dove down after his ragtag pair of teammates—and so, the hunt continued.

* * *

Event: Reflection …for Rouge, Sakura & Rider

* * *

**Space Colony ARK  
** **Research Lab A**

“Wow, look at this view…! You don’t get to see _this_ sight every day!”

Three figures stood in the abandoned research lab on the Space Colony ARK, staring out into the vast vacuum of space beyond the glass viewports.

 **Rouge the Bat** , famed jewel thief, was one of them.

“I mean, my one true love are jewels first and foremost,” she continued, waving a hand to her equally-gorgeous companions, “but I’m not so stuck-up as to be unable to appreciate this. What do you two think?”

 **Rider** pursed her lips.

“It’s… certainly not a vision I expected to see,” she said, carefully not letting anything show on her face.

She didn’t say anything more, though; she didn’t want to admit to her astonishment the first time they had been transported to the ARK.

“Oh, come on, you’ve got to have a better reaction than that,” the bat girl teased her. “No one can just see _this_ for the first time and not feel anything! Sakura, girl, lemme hear a reply—”

But **Sakura Matou** was preoccupied with other things.

She was sitting on the floor, body scrunched up and her back to the wall. A shadow was being cast on her face, and she was visibly shaking—why, Rouge didn’t know.

“…Sakura?”

_Why does she look so… panicked?_

_Sure, we cut it close with the Prison Island heist back there, but we’re out of the woods now._

Something was wrong.

 _Very_ wrong.

The treasure hunter walked over to the violet-haired girl, all the cheer taken out of her sails. “Are you okay, Sakura? This—This isn’t too much for you, is it? I can’t imagine you’ve ever been to space before back home—”

_“…I’m a monster.”_

Rouge blinked. “C-Come again?”

Sakura lifted her head—and for the first time, the bat caught a glimpse at just how _empty_ her eyes were. It was as if the poor girl had been bereft of hope all her life – which was astounding, for all the wrong reasons.

“I’m a monster. There’s—There’s no doubt about it. I helped steal three of those Chaos Emeralds. I helped blow up a whole island _with innocents._ I’m partly responsible for helping some madman try to take over the world.” She buried her face into her ankles. “Listen at all of that again, and tell me I deserve to be okay.”

Oh. Uh…

_I knew she had a guilt complex, but I didn’t think it was **this** bad…!_

“Honey, you’re not a monster. Trust me, you’re the farthest person I know from one.”

“That’s not true,” she quietly replied. “I’m dirty. Tainted. I’m not worth anything at all—not my body, not my mind—and after the crimes I’ve committed…” She sniffed, on the verge of tears. “…even Senpai won’t be able to forgive me.”

~~More quietly, she murmured— _“But at least **he** can’t torment from here…”_~~

Rider looked as if she wanted to protest her self-depreciations.

Rouge could probably guess why she reluctantly refrained.

_What happened to this girl…?_

_She has, like, all of Shadow’s hang-ups turned up to eleven—except **worse,** somehow!_

Now, the bat girl was under no delusions that she could substitute for a good psychologist. She was a martial artist and accomplished jewel thief, but none of those talents exactly lined up with this kind of scenario.

…still, though, she couldn’t simply leave Sakura to stew in her misery.

She wasn’t as callous as Eggman was.

“Hey, don’t be like that,” Rouge patted her back. “You’ve got people on your side who want you to succeed. Like your Senpai—Shirou Emiya, if I’m remembering right. What’s he like?”

She hesitated for a bit before replying. “He’s… He’s kind. He’s sweet. He’s honest, and the hardest-working person I know. He’s the one person who’s always treated me well, and—” She started to blush, making it _very clear_ what she thought of the boy.

“He’s also the Master of Saber,” Rider chimed in. “He treats her well, as far as I can tell.”

“Sounds like one hell of a man,” the Mobian commented— _and one hell of a crush, too._ “Now, does that sound like somebody who’d ever reject you for any reason?”

Sakura paused. “N-No…”

“Then he won’t. If he’s got the heart you say he has, then you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“Are—Are you sure…?”

Rider crossed her arms. “I haven’t seen too much of him myself, but… he makes you happy, so I suppose that’s enough for me.”

Sakura sniffed again. She seemed to be feeling a little better, which was progress in Rouge’s eyes.

“Now, why don’t we go and explore the ARK a little?” the bat suggested, as a pick-me-up. “There’s a lot of mystery in this abandoned space colony, and exploring it just might cheer you up.”

_It’ll also be good for my own investigation, so there’s also that._

“Okay,” the violet girl said, getting up and trudging over to her Servant. “F-Fine by me.”

As the trio started to leave the facility, Rider couldn’t help but glance back at the area.

“Hmm…?” Rouge looked to the amazon beauty. “Rider, what’s…?”

“…I don’t know why, but…” She frowned. “Something about this place… makes me feel uneasy. Like a great tragedy happened here, one that I can’t shake off for the life of me…”

 _That might be the understatement of the century,_ Rouge thought, equally as intrigued.

_The ARK… Project Shadow… the ‘Ultimate Lifeform’…_

_I wonder—just what could it all mean, really…?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Not a crack crossover, for once!
> 
> Since the day I first saw an ad for it in the back of _Sonic Adventure DX’s_ manual, I’ve always wanted to play _Sonic Adventure 2._ There’s just something about it that always… intrigued me, you know? Its story, its gameplay, everything about it attracted me like bees to a flower.
> 
> I knew I had to play it eventually. So last December, I decided to take a leap of faith: I bought the game on Steam—a first for me; I’m a console gamer at heart—hooked up a DualShock 4, and fired away.
> 
> Honestly, I am so glad I finally did—because _Sonic Adventure 2_ is the most fun I’ve ever had with an official _Sonic_ game.
> 
> It’s not perfect, but all three gameplay styles coalesce together surprisingly well. Running in the speed stages, chaining combos in the shooting stages, searching about in the hunting stages… I can really see where people are coming from when they say they consider it their favorite in the franchise.
> 
> As a sort of ~~late~~ New Year’s gift, I decided to write a little fic in tribute to it. With the _Fate/stay night_ cast, ‘cause I think it’d be fun to bounce the Mobius crew off of ‘em. It was either this or _Sonic ’06_ —and as much as I’d like to do the latter, it’d be a tad bit repetitive after _[The Whole Academy’s on Fire!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28031400/chapters/68670504)._
> 
> I’m not exactly an expert on the Nasuverse or anything—I read a hell lotta _Fate_ fics, and that’s kinda the extent of it. That being said, I did my best to keep true to the spirit of everyone’s characters, and I hope their interactions with their character of choice are engaging enough for y’all.
> 
> (Though, if you ask me, Shadow and Illya seem to get along a little _too_ well…)
> 
> Well, that’s all for now – here’s to a far, far better year than 2020! I’ll be seein’ you guys around.


	2. Event: Conquest …for Hero Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Eggman makes an announcement.
> 
> The heroes watch in horror, and react accordingly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Light implied spoilers for _Fate/stay night_ and _Fate/Zero_ below.

June 20, 2001 – 5:55 PM

**Central City  
Mission Street**

It had been a… _very_ exciting day for Team Emiya, as they were colloquially called.

Few things could describe just how much they defied death by the end. Escaping an exploding island was something Shirou and Rin would preferably never like to repeat.

But now they were back in Central City—and unfortunately, due to how unsubtle Tails’ break-in had been, his face was now plastered on wanted screens all over the capital.

And since Rin and Archer had been by his side the entire time…

“This sucks,” Rin grouched, tearing off a poster with her own visage on it. “This sucks so much.”

The entire team of six—plus **Amy Rose** —were hiding away in one of the backstreets, which was thankfully isolated. Given how undeniably distinctive they all were, it was a struggle to keep abreast of the police while they figured out what to do next.

“Tell me about it,” Sonic agreed. “That faker’s still running about and not cutting me any slack! Who does he think he is, impersonating me like that…?”

A vein showed up on the teenage Magus’ forehead.

“Sonic, _this is **serious!”**_ she shouted. “Who cares if someone’s copying you; we’re all wanted by the _entire country!”_

“Hey, I _am_ being serious!” the hedgehog replied—“we can’t exactly do anything about being labeled criminals, but Shadow _is_ still out there—and he’s working with Eggman, to boot! That’s the more important issue to worry about, in my opinion!”

“I concur,” Saber said. “Those villains blew up an entire island, just to cover their tracks. Whatever they have planned, we must be on our guard!”

Personally, Rin wasn’t sure if that was the right reasoning to take—but she’d already come this far, and it wasn’t like she could get out of it now.

“So we’ll just have to deal with _two_ factions trying to kill us, then,” Rin sighed. _“Great.”_

 _< Archer, please tell me we’re still in the clear,>_ she begged.

 _< The police are still scouring the street several blocks away,> _her Servant mentally informed her from up on the nearby rooftop. _< We should be fine for another few minutes at least.>_

_< That’s… not great, but it’s better than nothing, I suppose.>_

While those four had a quite lively discussion, Tails was diving into the research end of things.

“Man, Eggman’s really been hidden these last few months,” the kitsune remarked, eyes locked on his Cyclone’s built-in computer. “I can’t find any leads on his whereabouts at all. G.U.N. can’t find any either, and they’ve been looking _everywhere.”_

Shirou frowned, looking over his shoulder at the map on-screen. Several potential locations had been marked out as points of interest, though an equal amount of them were crossed out upon further inspection.

“He’s gotta be close to Prison Island, at least,” he muttered. “He and his allies would need _some_ place to rest after what they just did. Maybe—Maybe that desert has a clue…?”

“That desert…? You mean— **Sand Ocean**?”

Tails zoomed in toward the aforementioned area, curious as to what may lay hidden there.

“Well,” he muttered, “this place _is_ famous for its pyramids. I wouldn’t put it past Eggman to break into one and— _renovate_ it, let’s call it that.”

“No kidding,” Amy crossed her arms. “He’s practically everywhere! It feels like you can’t go five feet without seeing another of his Badniks, tromping around like they own the world!”

Shirou’s hands clenched into fists—he could feel a pair of blades itching to be Projected into existence, much like they had back during the three-on-three with Shadow’s group. “If that’s the case, then we’ve got a lot of work to do. He can’t run free forever…”

All of a sudden, one of the electronic billboards atop the buildings went static. In fact, every monitor, regardless of origin (with the sole exception of Tails’, unconnected from the network) was going haywire, catching the heroes’ attention.

They turned to look, and lo and behold…

…who should be on camera but the mad scientist himself?

[ _“Citizens of Mobius, lend me your ears and listen to me very carefully!”_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSf0kfaUGHQ&ab_channel=Politoed)

Sonic growled. _“Eggman!”_

Saber glared at the doctor’s visage. “So, this is the much-maligned Dr. Eggman…”

_“My name is Dr. Eggman, the world’s greatest scientist—and soon to be the world’s greatest ruler.”_

“Grrrrr…!” Rin grit her teeth. “Look at him, showing himself so blatantly… who does he think he is!?”

Streams of words, proclaiming his greatness in every language, were streaking behind him as well. ‘I AM GENIUS’; ‘I AM GREAT’. ‘I AM BRILLIANT’; ‘I AM SMART’—etc.

_“I have in my possession a weapon of ultimate power, one that can devastate your pitiful world as you know it. If you wish to continue with your lives, then heed my words. From this moment forward, you are all citizens of the great Eggman Empire!”_

“I’m getting a bad feeling about this…!” Tails muttered, bringing his hands close to his mouth. “He wouldn’t be broadcasting himself like this if he wasn’t so confident in his chances!”

“But what could that be?” Shirou asked. “What makes this any different than any other time he’s done this?”

_“And if you doubt my claims… then allow me to show you the error of your ways._

_“Now, witness the beginning of the greatest empire **of all time!”**_

From a point in the sky, far from the city the heroes were in, a blue light coalesced into being—bright enough that anyone could see it, even from this distance. It ebbed and flowed, growing bigger and bigger with every passing second.

“What’s going on!?” Amy shouted, taking a step back. “Wh-What’s that light…!?”

Archer’s eyes widened. _This is insane…! A ‘weapon of ultimate power’—what the hell kind of threat are we even facing!?_

It held in place for a couple seconds more—and then, it shot across the sky, bathing the city below in a cyan aura. As it continued unabated and just barely skated by Mobius, all eyes realized just what the hitherto unseen Eclipse Cannon’s _real_ target was:

The moon.

_KA- **BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**_

The laser struck true.

The moon’s surface broke apart.

A large chunk of the crust went flying off in pieces, some of them moving to hover around the satellite instead—

And visible to every individual within the city was the moon’s molten core, exposed out in the open for the first time.

* * *

Shirou had been stabbed, scrambled, and nearly killed more than once.

He’d seen magic beyond anything he was capable of; strength and skills that could only belong to the greatest of heroes.

But this surpassed even all of that.

What Eggman had shown was nothing short of a total game-changer, for Mobians and Earthlings alike.

 _Even Berserker would be hard-pressed to survive that,_ he gulped.

_How are we supposed to save the world when Eggman has **that** up his arsenal…?_

* * *

Saber, for a moment, felt like she was back on the precipice of the Fourth Holy Grail War.

Facing a horde of devastatingly powerful foes, feeling as if her entire world was crumbling apart in her hands.

 _I’m almost not sure what’s worse,_ she mused— _this, or… everything correlating to my previous master. Kiritsugu Emiya._

But for as bad as she thought Kiritsugu was… even he’d take a step back at what Dr. Eggman was demanding.

_Is this why we were called into this world? To stop this threat, before it’s too late to set things right…?_

* * *

Rin couldn’t believe her eyes. She couldn’t believe anything she had just witnessed.

 _No way,_ she thought— _there’s no way that kind of power can be real! It just **can’t!**_

But as much as she wanted to dismiss it—as much as she wanted to keep believing in the superiority of Magecraft—

Against a showing such as this, there was no way she could deny just how dire the situation had gotten.

 **_Eggman…!_ ** _You—You insane madman…!_

* * *

Archer, for once in his life, wished that he was dealing with a certain gold-haired prick instead of this.

 _At least I have **a** method of dealing with his madness!_ he thought. _No matter what I can pull out of my Reality Marble, it’ll never be able to contend with **this!**_

It took a lot to catch the worn-out guardian completely flatfooted, but _this…_ was an exception. An absolutely, positively irreplicable exception.

_Damn it… is there nothing I can do to stop this!?_

_To save the world, regardless of the cost…!?_

* * *

As all parties reacted in shock, there was one more thing that needed to be pointed out:

On all monitors, Eggman’s figure was replaced with a simple numerical reading.

It wasn’t very complex, nor did it speak of any stipulations outright.

But the message it sent, to everyone across the globe…

_23:58:19:13_

_23:58:18:46_

_23:58:17:33_

…it was nothing short of utterly diabolical.

_“Bwahahahahahaha… **HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”**_

* * *

A couple of minutes passed in complete silence.

Screams and shouts were echoing across the city, fight-or-flight instincts taking over all rational thought.

No one was really sure what to say.

What was there that could be, given the scope of what they’d just seen…?

“Look!” Amy pointed up at the sky, jaw open in horror. “Half of the moon—it’s **_gone!”_**

“So _this_ is what Eggman’s got up his sleeve…!” Sonic cast a hand to his side in frustration. “Argh, that creep never gives up!”

“Tell me about it…” Shirou breathed. “With a weapon like that, no one will be able to resist him without getting blown up!”

Archer shook his head, materializing with the other six. “But there’s gotta be a catch. To use that kind of firepower, Eggman must be harnessing a truly unspeakable amount of energy.”

“But how would they be able to do that!?” Amy cried.

The answer to that conundrum came to Sonic’s mind almost instantly. “It’s gotta be the Chaos Emeralds…!” he realized. “Shadow stole the one from the Federal Bank—and that trip to Prison Island, it must’ve been to get the rest! Yeah, _that’s_ the reason they were looking for them!”

To say this was bad would be an understatement.

Such a showcase necessitated having multiple Chaos Emeralds at _least._

If Eggman and his troupe already had all seven of them on hand, then—

—then there was no way they’d be able to find him and his new weapon in time—not before he fired that devastating laser again.

“And we have yet to come across any of the Chaos Emeralds ourselves,” Saber grimly noted. “For all we know, they have six in their grasp… and the last one is likely not far behind.”

“Is this it, then…?” Rin despaired. “Is this… the end…?”

…

…

…

“…no,” Tails shook his head. “This isn’t over yet. After all, we still have this!”

The gadgeteer genius reached into his hammerspace, pulling out a lead-lined box—one that the nearby Mages curiously could barely detect. He undid the locks and opened it up, revealing its contents to be a sparkling yellow gem—

_[The seventh **Chaos Emerald**.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA-bkXHgId0&ab_channel=DeoxysPrime) _

Everyone reeled back in surprise.

“Tails—that’s right!” Sonic lit up. “You’ve got an Emerald of your own!”

The kitsune beamed. “The Chaos Emeralds are like magnets,” he exposited—“they have the power to attract each other, and that’s why they’re never far apart from one another. I got this one from Station Square when I saved them three years ago. If I can tap into its power, then we’ll be able to find Eggman!”

Saber smiled.

“Good thinking, Tails,” she complimented. “We still have one more hand to play, it seems.”

Shirou pumped a fist into the air. “What are we waiting for, then?” he said. “We’ve gotta get busy! Eggman won’t stop himself!”

Rin shook her head and rounded on the poor fox. “Jeez, you could’ve told us you had an Emerald _before_ tonight happened! We’ve been rooming with you for almost a week!”

Tails rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Heh heh… well, it’s not like it’s something I can just spring on you. A Chaos Emerald’s big news, y’know?”

The teenage Magus sighed. “I’ll let it go this time, but—next time, give us a little head’s up!”

But before our plucky protagonists could further plan out their next course of action, sirens and red lights began to go off from their surroundings.

_“The seven of you, **freeze!** Put your hands up in the air and get on the ground!”_

Archer cursed. “Shit! I forgot about the police! That little display of Eggman’s distracted me for too long!”

“Looks like we’ve got to cut this little party short,” Sonic remarked.

He turned to Tails, jabbing a thumb at the approaching officers. “Tails! I’ll keep ‘em busy with Shirou and Saber! You, Rin, and Archer need to get outta here and figure out where Eggman’s hiding!”

“Got it!” Tails nodded.

“This isn’t how I expected to face law enforcement,” Saber admitted, “but needs must. We cannot allow them to apprehend us now.”

“Then I guess it’s a good thing the three of us are here to distract them,” Shirou said. “Ready, Saber?”

“Whenever you are, Shirou.”

The heroic trio proceeded to sprint away, leaving behind the remaining four sidekicks of sorts.

“Tch. Seems like I’ve got my work cut out for me.” Archer projected a bow into his hands, fading away to move back toward the rooftops. “I’ll be right behind you guys, so try not to take any unexpected detours.”

“You can count on me,” Tails replied. “C’mon, Rin!”

“R-Right!”

The Tohsaka heir jumped into the Cyclone’s other cockpit, buckling up as fast as she could.

As the bipedal mech marched off toward the highway, a realization went through Amy’s mind.

She counted off everyone on her fingers, slowly putting two and two together.

“The seven of you… that means me, too!” She dashed off after Tails and Rin, wielding a freshly-summoned Piko-Piko Hammer. “H-Hey, _wait for me!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had a few plot bunnies left over, so I decided more of this couldn’t hurt.
> 
> At the very least, I figured that it’d be fun to write Team Heroes’ response to Eggman’s iconic announcement (no, not that one!). The _Fate_ cast may not be strangers to high-stakes situations, but – as demonstrated by Caster last chapter – even they would balk at seeing Eggman _destroy half of the moon just to make a point._
> 
> As an aside, I have to say: I adore the way _Sonic Adventure 2_ sets its stakes. The music, the sound effects, the visuals… everything about the reveal of the Eclipse Cannon is chilling, in a way _Forces’_ nonchalant illusionary sun could never, ever match. You know what you have to do, you know what’ll happen if you fail—and you know that you can’t let Eggman keep a hold over that kind of weapon.
> 
> For Team Emiya, that’s all they need for motivation. This is so much bigger than the Holy Grail War now—and damn if they’re just gonna let this go on under their watch.
> 
> Well, that’s all for now – see you around!


	3. [Omake] A Very Different Announcement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [You know what this is.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMC0uZY2iH0&t=12m57s)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Strong language and mature content below; reader discretion is advised.

_“I’ve come to make an announcement: Shadow the Hedgehog’s a bitch-ass motherfucker!”_

A beat passed.

“What,” Rin said.

_“He pissed on my fucking wife. That’s right, he took his hedgehog-fuckin’ quilly dick out—”_

“What is he—What is he talking about,” Shirou asked, a flabbergasted look on his face.

 _“—and he pissed on my_ fucking _wife; and he said his dick was **‘tHIS bIG’** and I said ‘That’s disgusting’!”_

“This is—This is inappropriate, even for a man of his character,” Saber said, disgusted. “And here I thought the last War’s Archer was repulsive…”

_“So I’m making a callout post on my Twitter.com: Shadow the Hedgehog, you’ve got a small dick. It’s the size of this walnut, except WAY smaller. And guess what? Here’s what my dong looks like._

**_“BWOOOOOOOOSH!”_ **

On-screen, footage of a… well, a walnut-like object was shown in space. Its bottom half then inexplicably blew up, revealing a replica of Eggman’s face—albeit, one with a very pointy nose.

Archer was at a loss for words.

_Sweet Alaya, what am I **looking** at—?_

_“That’s right, baby! All points, no quills, no pillows—look at that, it looks like two balls and a bong.”_

Rin blushed, a strangled cry exiting her mouth.

Shirou wasn’t much better; he was burrowing his face in his hands, absolutely done with this.

_No. Just— **no.**_

_“He fucked my wife, so guess what, I’m gonna fuck the Earth! That’s right, this is what you get—my **SUPER LASER PISS!”**_

The mechanical nose sprouted out into a cannon, charging up a blue sphere much like one would charge up a… you know. To the tune of its drunken owner, it fired a blue beam—one that many, for a hot second, feared would strike the planet.

But it didn’t. It sailed right over their heads.

Because…

 _“Except I’m not gonna piss on the Earth. I’m gonna go_ higher.”

“Wait, don’t tell me,” Saber tensed up, eyes widening. “Is he actually—!?”

_“I’m pissing on the_ **MOOOOOOOOOON!”**

And then, calamity.

Half of the moon was blown off in an instant, just like that.

By a guy who had a grudge against a hedgehog for—for—

…they couldn’t even say it; it was _that_ stupid.

_“How do you like that, OBAMA? **I PISSED ON THE**_ **MOON, _YOU_ IDIOT!”**

_I get it now,_ Rin suddenly nodded. _I’m dreaming. I’m dreaming, and any minute now, I’ll be waking up back in my bedroom getting ready for the school day._

_Yep. That is definitely what is happening right now._

_“You have twenty-three hours before the piss_ drrrrrrroplets _hit the fucking Earth, now get out of my fucking sight, before I piss on you too!”_

…

…

…

…

…

Shirou reacted appropriately. “What. The fuck.”

It was the first time he and Archer actually agreed on something.

Which… really spoke volumes. About this, _and_ them.

Speaking of Archer…

“Okay, screw this, I’m out,” the red-clad bowman deadpanned, entering Astral Form and heading off in the direction of… somewhere; probably a bar.

Nobody else bothered to protest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn’t resist.


	4. Boss: Shut Up, Faker!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the forest, two teams of foils run into one another.
> 
> Two fakers; two step-siblings; two wildly different Servants.
> 
> What could go wrong?

June 20, 2001 – 12:05 PM (T-0:10)

**Prison Island  
Green Forest**

“Where is that faker? He’s gotta be around here somewhere…!”

As the clock ticked on over Prison Island, a blue blur and his two companions made their way through the incredibly forested jungle.

Sonic was flinging himself from place to place, past the grassy terrain and even into the trees. Shirou and Saber weren’t too far away, sticking to ground level and keeping their instincts sharp.

They may have escaped captivity, in part thanks to their friends’ efforts—but they weren’t out of the woods yet.

“Sonic, don’t you think we should meet back up with Tails and Rin?” Shirou asked, nervously shuffling his feet. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this place… we should really go, before we get caught again.”

“I can’t just leave yet, though,” Sonic replied, one hand hovering over his forehead—“not without figuring out what that black hedgehog’s up to! He’s already stolen _one_ Chaos Emerald; Chaos knows what’ll happen if he gets his hands on the rest!”

He leaped from his lookout point and touched down on the ground, taking care to dust off his shoes. “And then there’s his two sidekicks…”

Saber frowned.

“…Illyasviel and Berserker,” she recalled.

One of the deadliest Master-Servant pairs in the Holy Grail War.

To say they were uncontested in strength would be an understatement—not only was Berserker strong as steel, but he could resurrect a dozen times over, too.

With Illyasviel powering him, he was an absolute beast without rival.

With Shadow and the Chaos Emeralds thrown into the equation…

“I must say,” the swordswoman admitted, “the idea of the three of them being loose together… it’s unsettling, especially in a world lacking the veil of secrecy. Without that to keep them in check… we’re the only ones with even a chance at subduing them.”

“You said it, sister,” Sonic chimed in. “Now—c’mon, you two! We’re wasting daylight!”

The trio soon arrived at a clearing, trees expectantly surrounding them on all sides. “Phew… so far, so good,” announced the cobalt hedgehog.

They would have continued on from there, but unfortunately ~~(or perhaps fortunately)~~ , they never got the chance. For—wouldn’t you know it?—Saber suddenly sensed the intrusion of a dreadful aura.

She startled. “This presence…! Sonic, Shirou! On guard! A Servant is here!”

The other two immediately tensed up, the redhead’s hands twitching to hold something unconsciously. Sonic glanced around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the spectral warrior—

—and then he noticed a familiar figure sitting on a nearby branch; a hedgehog as black as he was blue.

_“Hey, that’s…!”_

* * *

At the same time, a black blur was cutting a similar route closer to the heroic trio’s position.

“We’re almost there,” the black hedgehog muttered. “I can sense it.”

Against all that his ingrained instincts were telling him, Shadow had one singular mission: get to Rouge and Sakura, at any cost. They were in locked in the Security Hall, three Chaos Emeralds in hand—

—and the high-grade explosive he had planted was only minutes away from going off.

Trailing behind him was Illyasviel and Berserker—confused by their ally’s inexplicable detour, but going along with it anyway.

“Hey, Shadow— _why_ are we headed this way, again?” the white-haired mage called out, perched atop Berserker’s shoulder. “That Servant of theirs—Rider—she’s strong enough to get ‘em outta that vault, probably! Won’t they be fine without us?”

Under normal circumstances, the black hedgehog would agree. It wasn’t like Rouge or her companions were of any real importance; even if the island blew up with them, all they’d need to do is fish out the Chaos Emeralds from the wreckage.

But for as clinical as those logistics were…

_~~‘Please, do it for me…! For all of the people who live on that planet…’~~ _

…Shadow just couldn’t bring himself to accept them.

He shook his head. “We can’t take that risk,” he said. “We need those Emeralds to power the Eclipse Cannon. We may have Caster, but she’s no substitute.”

She was quite the force to be reckoned with, though, Shadow would admit that.

Magic from her time period—the ‘Age of the Gods’—was certainly no joke.

“I guess that’s not wrong…” Illya bit her lip. “Ugh, why is this so _hard_ a decision? I wish I could just go bash onii-chan’s head or something—that’d be so much easier…!”

~~(She still stayed with Shadow, though.~~

~~He understood her better than most.~~

~~She didn’t want to lose him, too.)~~

Berserker grunted. That seemed similarly appealing to him; if it made his Master happy, he was all for it.

Whatever their motivations, this didn’t stop the trio from arriving a nearby clearing.

As Illya and Berserker clung onto a large tree trunk, advertising their presence through a loud creak, Shadow landed onto a lengthy branch. He took a moment to catch his breath— _We’re getting closer to the facility, but I can’t let my guard down yet. G.U.N.’s still around, and if they catch wind of this—_

A voice interrupted him.

_“Hey, that’s…!”_

_Wh-What?_

His ears twitched, and he turned his head to see—

“That blue hedgehog again, of all places…!”

* * *

[The two parties glared daggers into each other’s eyes.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNufJ8m5KOw)

At last, they had reunited, and the fated confrontation was set to occur.

“Well, well, well,” Illyasviel sang, “would you look who it is! Nice to see you again, _onii-chan~”_

Shirou took a step back. “Illya…! Shadow…!”

“Berserker, too…” Saber added, holding her invisible sword tightly in her grasp.

The dark-skinned titan rumbled, summoning his own heavy axe-blade and swinging it.

 _This is bad,_ the redhead thought— _we barely held out against him **last time;** how are we supposed to fare without Rin and Archer available to help…!?_

Sonic, meanwhile, had eyes for only one hedgehog.

_Finally, I’ve got him! He won’t escape me this time!_

_“There_ you are! I found you,” he pointed a finger at Shadow, _**“faker!”**_

“Faker?” Shadow scoffed.

_What right does he have to call **me** a fake?_

“I think _you’re_ the fake hedgehog around here,” he replied to him. “You’re comparing yourself to me? _Ha!”_

He levied a smug smile at his counterpart.

“You’re not even good enough to be my fake.”

The Blue Blur growled, recklessly vaulting toward his imposter.

_“I’ll make you eat those words!”_

Shadow returned in kind, fists already clenched in preparation.

_“You won’t even get the chance!”_

“I guess that means that it’s time to play,” the Einzbern Master said. “That’s fine by me! It’s more fun to see my prey squirming like worms, anyway. Berserker? _Crush them.”_

**_“ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAR!”_ **

The Hero of Greece bounded into action, raising his blade high in the air—

_“Shirou, look out!”_

—but before he could turn Shirou into pulp, Saber managed to intercept him. As the King of Knights led her opponent away, Illya elegantly leaped off his shoulder, striking a perfect landing right in front of the wannabe Hero of Justice.

“It’s just you and me, now,” she smiled, cutting off some of her hair strands. “Shall we started, onii-chan?”

Shirou gulped.

And just like that, the battle began.

* * *

Being hedgehogs of identical make, Sonic and Shadow were more than evenly matched.

Punches and kicks and haymakers were being thrown in rapid succession, each being countered with a similarly speedy attack.

“You can’t get away this time!” Sonic declared. “There’s only _one—real—Sonic!”_

He dove toward Shadow with a charged-up Spin Dash, only for his doppelganger to dodge effortlessly and kick him in the back of the head. He got up and backflipped over a follow-up swipe, bouncing off of Shadow with a well-timed stomp.

_“Oof!”_

He skid to a stop, watching as the black hedgehog shook his disorientation away.

“‘Only one real Sonic’…? How egotistical of you,” he said. “You’re nothing more than another black mark on the wall!”

Shadow started hovering above the ground, producing spears of yellow energy in his clenched hand.

_“VANISH!”_

“Oh, crud!” The phantom projectiles were sent Sonic’s way, five of them forming a row of singed stains right as the Blue Blur spun out of the way.

The Ultimate Lifeform didn’t stop, forming a new Chaos Spear after every one and hurling them at his spiky-born foe. Sonic danced around them, keeping his distance from Shadow even as he continued his assault.

He whirled about his fake in a wide circle, eventually speeding up to the point where a blue tornado was ripping through the arena. Streaks of wind picked up and knocked Shadow out of the air, giving Sonic the opportunity to rush in and kick him away.

_“Argh—!”_

The black hedgehog curled up and brought himself to a stop.

_Oh… I see. So he’s not just a hedgehog…_

“Is that _really_ what you think of me?” he laughed, flashing him one of his signature smirks. “Buddy, do you even know who I am?”

Shadow scowled. “No—and it doesn’t matter to me. I don’t have time to hang out with the likes of you. I have a mission to fulfill, and I won’t let you get in the way of that. Step aside!”

“No way! I don’t know about you, but it doesn’t matter now what happens—I will _never_ give up the fight!” Sonic narrowed his eyes. “And there’s no way I’ll ever run away from all of my frights!”

“Hmph.” The red-striped shade crossed his arms. “You haven’t yet seen what dozes in the dusk… if this is your choice, then so be it. I _will_ take you down!”

“Bring it on, Shadow!”

The two blasted off at one another at full velocity—and as they fought on, the clock ticked ever downward.

* * *

A jump; a roll; a dive into infinity—

Shirou was being forced onto the defensive here, and Illya very much knew it.

“What’s wrong, onii-chan? Don’t you want to play with me?” Her smile was vindictive as all hell; in Shirou’s opinion, such an expression had no business being on an innocent face like hers. “C’mon, just stay still! This’ll only hurt… _a lot!”_

Crystallized birds were blasting lasers at him, aiming to cripple him by any means necessary. They weren’t slow-firing, either, which gave him an absolutely pitiful margin for error.

“Why are you… doing this…!?” he got out between attacks. “Why are you trying so hard to kill me!? I—I’ve never done _anything_ to you!”

From the moment he first met her, he had been her sole target. Even the Holy Grail War seemed only an excuse to get at him— _so why…!? What does she have against me…!?_

Illya grit her teeth.

All of her joy disappeared in that instant.

_You’ve ‘never done anything to me’…? Is—Is he serious…?_

_Are you telling me… he doesn’t even **know** what he’s done wrong…!?_

“How—How can you say that…?” she whispered, her entire body trembling. “That’s a lie, and _you know it!”_

Her familiars became blades, swinging down at Shirou with a renewed fury. His eyes widened, and he quickly started rolling again, barely fast enough to avoid the Degens.

 _“You stole everything from me!”_ she screamed, her blades acting in tune with her voice.

_“You stole my happy life!”_

_CRASH!_

_“You stole my family’s love!”_

_CRASH!_

_“You even stole their old Servant!”_

_CRASH!_

“But… But that’s not the reason why I hate you so much,” she admitted, tears now flowing down her cheeks. “You did something even worse than that. Because… _Because…!_

**_“You’re the reason why Kiritsugu never came back for me!”_ **

Shirou’s eyes widened.

The gears in his brain trickled to a halt.

“Wh-What did you just say…?” He got back up, staring at Illya in disbelief. “How—How do you know Kiritsugu…?”

“…isn’t it obvious?” she replied. “It’s because he’s my father. The ‘winner’ of the Fourth Holy Grail War. And you’re my brother.”

Time seemed to slow down as Shirou took in this revelation. His father’s life prior to his adoption had been a total mystery to him—his marriage, his existing children, any knowledge of the Holy Grail War…

“I—I can’t believe this,” he said, almost shell-shocked. “He never said anything about you, or any of this…!”

“…he should have. Maybe then, it would’ve saved you.” She looked at him coldly, like the long-spurned teenager she truly was. “He’s gone, so I’ll have to take my revenge out on you. But don’t feel bad—I’ll make sure you won’t forget me, forever and ever _and ever.”_

She raised her four crystal swords, intending to bring them down all at once.

“Hope you’re ready, **_onii-chan.”_**

 _I can’t go out like this,_ Shirou thought— _but I can’t do anything about it! I’m only a third-rate Magus; none of my skills can match up to a first-class Magus like her!_

_…except… maybe…_

This was a desperate long shot, but his skills always lied in the art of Projection. If he could Project a weapon and use it to stall for time… then he might just have a chance to survive.

_~~(In that moment, Archer’s signature swords came to mind.)~~ _

_“Trace on.”_

Right as Illya’s familiars were about to strike, Shirou batted them back with twin black-and-white blades— _Kanshou and Bakuya,_ he instinctively recognized. He got into a stance resembling that of the red-clad Servant’s; it was amateurish in every way possible, but it would have to be enough.

“Sorry, Illya—but I can’t let you do this. Please, we don’t have to be enemies!”

Illya, for her part, looked a little conflicted—but ultimately, she blinked away her tears and steeled her eyes.

“…it’s too late for that, onii-chan,” she said.

_“This is all I have left.”_

* * *

Beads of sweat trickled down Saber’s head as she locked blades with her foe.

 _Ngh…! This is—an_ **_extremely_ ** _disadvantageous position!_

Berserker growled, putting in a greater amount of force than she could ever hope to match.

She broke off the gridlock, desperate to put some space between her and the hulking monstrosity. She may had some of her energy replenished, in part thanks to the Rings scattered about the island, but that didn’t make him any less ludicrously dangerous to face.

Plus, her Master was still in the vicinity—and while she desperately wanted to go and defend him against Illya’s rage—

_~~(She looked so much like Irisviel, so much like Kiritsugu’s daughter—~~ _

_~~But that couldn’t be right; for if that was the case, shouldn’t she be much older—?)~~ _

—she knew she couldn’t have Berserker’s attention on anyone other than her.

One stray swing at Shirou, and it’d all be over.

Once more, the Greek titan sprang into action, bearing down his mighty axe-blade on Saber. Her invisible sword clanged repeatedly against his glorified club, both their owners moving with the speed and grace comparable to Sonic and Shadow.

Again and again, they clashed, matching each other blow for blow. Backflips and lunges and all sorts of techniques were being traded, none of which was enough to break either side’s defense. Neither one was able to get an lead in edgewise, but neither one was willing to walk away with anything less than absolute victory.

Saber was normally stoic as the land, a perfect knight to the end—but even she had her limits, and she was beginning to reach them.

“No one… should be able… to endure… for this long!” she ground out, frustration clear in her voice. “What… will it take… for you… to _fall!?”_

_Should I team up with Archer **and** Lancer!? Do we need to throw in Rider, too, just to be thorough!?_

It was unfortunate that, much like a certain other knight of his class, Berserker had the muscle memory to back up his insane power. The two of them were essentially locked in a stalemate—she refused to let him past her, and he refused to be anything more than a stone wall.

Something had to give.

And more likely than not, it wouldn’t be him.

Last time, Archer used a Noble Phantasm to knock out one of his lives.

Last time, Shirou threw himself in harm’s way, causing Illya to back off.

This time, she’d need a high-powered miracle—

—and in a way, that’s exactly what she got.

Right before the two could resume their collision festival…

…two unstoppable blurs ripped through the arena, stopping them dead in their tracks.

* * *

Four figures proceeded to hold a ceasefire, in favor of gawking at the storm billowing around them.

 _Huh huh huh huh **huh?**_ Illya spluttered.

Sonic and Shadow were moving at the speed of sound, crashing into one another at a frightening pace – a pace that even Lancer would be hard-pressed to react to. A harsh wind was tearing across the air, plus a steady buildup of electricity from how fast they were going.

_BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!_

“Wh-Whoa!” Shirou yelped, taking Saber’s side for safety—“Look at them _go!”_

Saber’s eyes were as wide as everyone else’s (except Berserker). “I knew Sonic was fast, but—this speed… it’s truly unprecedented!”

The two hedgehogs kept rebounding and rebounding as a metronome would beat rhythmically, going at ever faster tempos until they began to reach a fever pitch. Eventually, they slowed down, gearing up for one last combo.

They Homing Attacked once—

They Homing Attacked twice—

They started to orbit around in a never-ending loop, the wind and electricity going _absolutely wild—_

—and then they bounced _hard_ into opposite directions, said energy exploding outward in an uncontrollable fashion.

The final result: Sonic fell back face-first and ate floor, and Shadow’s back flew down and hit fence.

Both parties rushed toward their ally, concern written all over their faces.

 _“Sonic!”_ Shirou and Saber called.

 _“Shadow!”_ Illya cried out.

Sonic groaned, the impact not entirely unfamiliar to him.

“Shoot…” he hissed, getting back on his feet.

“Not bad, for an imposter…” Shadow muttered, doing the same.

A low breeze fluttered past the arena.

Everyone was back where they had started: a three-on-three where each side was relatively equal.

Sonic closed his fists, while Shadow brought his wrist forward. Both of them traded glares, internally casting the other in a much more respectful light.

The tension was so thick, you could cut it with a knife.

_ZZZZT—!_

And then, Shadow’s radio communicator abruptly crackled to life.

He turned on the speaker.

 _“Shadow! Illyasviel! What are you doing!?”_ Eggman’s voice shouted, audible to all parties in range. _“Hurry up and get back here right now before the island blows up **with you two on it!”**_

Sonic’s eyes widened, as did Shirou’s and Saber’s.

[**_“BLOWS UP!?”_** they cried in unison.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIx8rJxfarI)

Shadow’s irises shrunk, he and Illya looking like a deer in headlights.

_“Sh-Shoot…!”_

_“Oh no…!”_

The hedgehog jumped back and dashed away, followed by Berserker leaning over to let Illya scramble onto his back.

_“We’ll settle this later, onii-chan!”_ she promised, her Servant taking off after Shadow.

The three heroes were left to quickly digest their new dire predicament.

“When he says ‘blows up’, he means, like—bombing this island and everyone on it, right!?” Shirou asked, in a panic.

“Curses!” Saber said. “I should’ve known our foes would pull a dirty trick like this…!”

“No time to scold ourselves now!” Sonic said. “We gotta get out of here and find Amy, Tails, and Rin, right away!”

With no time to lose, the trio got up on their shoes and made a break for their friends, hopefully back at the prison they had just been in.

_Hold on, everyone,_ the Blue Blur thought— _we’re coming!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any _Sonic_ fan worth their salt will be able to quote this exchange word-for-word.
> 
> It’s such an iconic part of _Sonic Adventure 2,_ I couldn’t resist throwing in a version of it in for this fic.
> 
> With tons more additional angst, since Shirou and Illya both have their share of baggage to deal with—
> 
> —and that’s not even mentioning Saber’s own collection, from her own past and onwards.
> 
> All in all, it’s a fun time for everyone.
> 
> (How is Sonic the only one here without a ridiculously tragic backstory? Seriously, he got lucky as hell…)
> 
> Well, that’s all for now – see you around!


	5. There Goes Hawaii (the island is gone)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The detonation of Prison Island, and its immediate aftermath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is set immediately after the previous one.
> 
> Some inspiration taken from Chapter 8 of Child at Heart Forever’s SA2 adaptation, _[Live and Learn](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6196710/8/Live-and-Learn)._

June 20, 2001 – 12:09 PM (T-0:06)

**Prison Island  
[Green Forest](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIx8rJxfarI)**

If one were to look at Prison Island from above, they might be able to catch a glimpse of a blue blur, speeding through the dense forest.

Now, while this wasn’t an unusual sight—Sonic was known for his love of adventure, high-profile military hideouts or not—the circumstances this time were far more dire than most people would realize.

Like, say, having only _eight_ _minutes_ (well, _six_ now) to get him and his friends off the island before Eggman blew it up.

Yeah, that was definitely a mood-killer.

“Don’t stop, just go; _don’t stop, just go,”_ Sonic was rapidly muttering. In a way, he was in his element: boosting through groups of G.U.N. robots, Light Dashing through trails of Rings; this forest had all the makings of his usual playgrounds.

Behind him, Shirou and Saber were desperately trying to keep up—though they had their own means of getting around (Shirou through Reinforcement, Saber through her own natural ability), they were only barely able to match his impeccable reflexes; such was the disparity between the three of them.

 _“Agh—!_ My feet feel like they’re going to fall apart…!” Shirou said, sweating as he pushed himself as hard as he could go. “Hopefully, we’ll reach the end of this road soon…!”

Internally, Saber shared the same sentiment, though she didn’t express it. “Hold on just a little bit longer, Shirou,” she pleaded—“though our situation is far from ideal, we mustn’t give up yet! We cannot allow the enemy a total victory by falling here!”

As they continued their course, Sonic couldn’t help but think—

_These last few days have been chaotic, even more so than our last adventure…!_

_Mages and Servants; G.U.N. and Eggman—there’s barely been a moment to rest, between all the new stuff being tossed over my head!_

_And then there’s that faker and his psycho sidekick._

_He’s so much like me, speed and spines and all—_

_—and she’s so far into hating us, it’s not even funny._

_What’s their deal…? Why are they fighting us…?_

His determined frown became tighter.

_…whatever’s going on here, I can’t just look past it._

_Me, Shirou, and Saber… we have to find out what they’re hiding!_

The trio came across a series of elevated platforms, located high above a fast-flowing river. Immediately as they arrived, the entire collection began to shake and descend, falling one by one in a precarious domino effect.

“Tch—! Another obstacle…!” Saber muttered. At this point, the exhaustion from both this and the earlier fight with Illya and Berserker had taken its toll. She and Shirou did their best to hop up the ever-dropping staircase, but it was being too harshly affected by gravity—and the exit kept slipping out of view.

“We can’t make it,” Shirou realized—“it’s going down too fast!”

Sonic snapped his fingers.

_Darn! I can make that just fine, but Shirou and Saber need help!_

_Is there anything I can do to get us outta this…?_

_…_

An idea popped into his head.

A crazy one, even for him.

_…I’ve never done **this** before, but—now’s a good time as any to give it a shot!_

He started charging up a Spin Dash, streaks of light coalescing from nowhere and going straight into his body. A few seconds later, he let himself uncurl, his whole self now covered in a cyan glow.

“Shirou! Saber! Grab my hands!” he told them.

“Wh-What? Are—Are you sure?” the redhead.

He nodded. “Trust me—I’ve got a plan!”

The two Grail War contestants looked at each other for a split second, before taking hold of their teammate’s hands.

“I hope you know what you’re doing…” Saber said.

“It’ll be over in a flash,” he assured her. “Okay, then. _Ready…”_

He aimed at his target, carefully stepping into a ready stance—

**_“Go!”_ **

—and then he cut loose, using all of his pent-up energy.

* * *

**Containment Facility – Exterior**

_“What do you mean you lost Sonic and Emiya-kun!?”_

Just outside of the forest, and right behind the prison complex Sonic, Shirou, and Saber had been locked up in, Rin was tearing Amy Rose a new one.

“Hey, I _tried_ to keep up with them,” Amy protested, “but you know how Sonic is! He _never_ likes staying still!”

“Understatement of the century…” Archer quietly snarked.

The teenage Magus groaned, loudly. “Oh, that’s just great…! Our allies are gone, I’m tired as hell, and the military’s probably gonna be out to get us! What _else_ can go wrong!?”

“Look on the bright side, Rin!” the pink hedgehog said. “At least I got ‘em out of jail! That counts for something, right?”

“It would, _if you didn’t also let them run off!”_

Tails let out a quiet hum. _Some things never change._

“I can’t say I’m surprised by this,” he admitted. “Once he sets his mind on something, he’s not gonna let anyone stop him.”

He tapped the Cyclone’s computer screen a few times, bringing up a map of the entire island—plus the locations of several security cameras.

“I’m pretty good at hacking,” the kitsune said, “so if I tap into the security system around the island, I might be able to find where Sonic and Shirou are at this moment. We’ve already combed the prison, so all that’s left is the forest. If we’re lucky, it shouldn’t take too long—”

Suddenly, a loud **_‘BOOM!’_** was blasted into everyone’s ears. All eyes shot over toward the edge of the Green Forest—and to their surprise, a slightly-winded Sonic stood by the opening, joined by a _definitely_ out-of-breath Shirou and Saber.

(“About time,” Archer snarked.)

Shirou and Saber, meanwhile, were practically dead on their feet.

“Wh-Whoa… I think my head’s spinning…”

“Today,” Saber said, using her invisible sword to straighten out her stance, “I’ve learned something new: there’s such a thing as too fast, and this is it. Oh, god…”

Sonic exhaled in relief. “Phew… just made it!” He waved a hand at the gathered party, giving them another one of his trademark smiles. “Yo—Tails, Amy, Rin! Long time no see!”

 _“Sonic!”_ Tails cried happily.

“Oh, _Sonic!”_ Amy wasted no time in giving him a massive hug. “I knew you’d come back! You could _never_ leave us behind for long~!”

“Hey, chill out, Amy!” the hedgehog said, shaking her off. “It’s not like I was dead or anything. Seriously, I’m not _that_ reckless.”

“I dunno,” Tails said, “you _do_ tend to put yourself in a lot of crazy stunts. Windy Valley and Ice Cap come to mind…”

He shook his head.

“Where’ve you been, anyway?” he asked. “For a minute, we were worried you might’ve gotten captured again!”

“That’s… kind of a long story,” Sonic replied, “and I can’t really explain it right now. Listen, we need to get going!”

Amy looked concerned. “Huh? Wh-Why’s that?”

While that was going on, Rin was stomping her way toward Shirou and Saber, her expression sporting this strange combination of relief and frustration.

“You’ve got some nerve running off, Emiya-kun!” she barked, snapping Shirou out of his trance.

“T-Tohsaka…!”

“Do you know how long I— _we_ spent panicking over you and Sonic get imprisoned!? We came all the way here to bust you out, and then you decide to run off without us!?” Her whole face was flushed red, herself seconds away from decking the Fake Janitor with her fists. “You could’ve _died_ out there, you know!”

Shirou flinched, unconsciously scratching the back of his head.

“S-Sorry, Tohsaka… I know it was dangerous and all—but I couldn’t leave Sonic to go after Eggman’s allies alone.”

“The fault lies with both of us,” Saber confessed. “We only did what we felt was right. I—I apologize for making you worry.”

She sighed.

_~~I can’t say no to you two…~~ _

“I’ll forgive you two this once,” she deflated—“but don’t expect me to make a habit of it! You’ve got a responsibility to others too, Emiya-kun!”

~~(In the background, Archer uncomfortably averted his eyes.~~

_~~Please, don’t remind me…)~~ _

“Heh heh… I’ll try to remember that.”

_“Wait, **what!?** Say that again!?”_

The four out-of-worlders turned back toward their colorful companions, Tails and Amy’s eyes now impossibly wide.

Rin and Archer, curious, started paying closer attention to them—

—and what they were discussing proceeded to blow them away.

“Eggman’s rigged this place to blow up,” Sonic repeated his explanation, “and we’ve only got a few minutes left before the explosions go off! We gotta get off this soon-to-be deathtrap, and _fast!”_

 _“The island’s gonna **explode!?”**_ Rin screamed, reeling back hard.

_You’ve got to be kidding me! Is Dr. Eggman really willing to go to such lengths, just to do—whatever it is he and Caster are trying to do…!?_

Her red-clad Servant was similarly in shock, images of a nuclear meltdown flashing through his mind.

_Ugh, and we’ve only just gotten back together, too…! At this point, there’s nothing we can do to stop this._

_Like that hedgehog said, we have to go!_

“Rin, now would be a good time to get on Tails’ mech!” he yelled, gritting his teeth.

“I’m—I’m on it!” she scrambled into the second cockpit, strapping on the seat belt right as Tails set the Cyclone to transform back into the Tornado III. Archer’s platform jutted out of its rear, too, and everyone prepared to grab their seat and flee the military base.

And then they ran into a critical problem:

“Wait, how are we all supposed to fit on the Tornado?” Shirou asked.

Everyone’s brains blanked for a second as they tried to puzzle out a solution.

“Shirou, Rin! You two sit together!” Sonic suggested, thinking fast. “Saber, Archer, you both take that mini-aircraft—and me and Amy can sit on the wings!”

“Wha—Wha— _What!?”_ the two Masters spluttered, cheeks glowing luminously.

The resident knight took in a breath. “This sounds risky,” she said, hopping on her designated vehicle, “but I can tell we don’t have a choice.”

“I’m having regrets about this already,” Archer deadpanned—but he went along with the plan anyway.

Soon enough, the whole crew had found a spot on the plane. It was awkward, sure, and Rin was decidedly _not_ thinking about having to sit on top of Shirou’s lap—but it was better than nothing!

“Alright,” Sonic said—“hit it, Tails!”

“Hang on tight!”

The engines burst to life, and the Tornado miraculously took off into the sky.

* * *

**Security Hall – Vault**

_CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!_

Inside a high-security vault, a series of loud impacts bounced off the tightly-sealed entrance.

“Come on…” Rouge hissed—“open up already!”

Being locked in the Security Hall with three of the seven Chaos Emeralds… wasn’t exactly the bat girl’s idea of a good time.

Alas, G.U.N. had gotten wise to her and Rider’s little heist—and now they were stuck inside, waiting for Eggman’s bomb to take them and Sakura out. They struggled against the barricade, flinging kicks and chains with everything they had—

—but it was useless.

The door refused to budge a single inch.

The Servant brought her arms down.

“…nothing’s working,” she said. “This vault’s stronger than anything I can throw at it.”

“That’s just great…!” The jewel thief threw her hands up in the air. “And we’ve only got one minute left, too!”

She’d tried to radio Shadow again earlier, but she hadn’t been able to garner a single reply. At this point, it was safe to say that the trio were screwed—epically so.

With her back to the wall literally and metaphorically, Sakura could no longer hold it in anymore.

“I… _I…!_ **_I can’t do this anymore!”_** she cried, voice rising hysterically. She closed her eyes and clutched her hand to her heads. _“We’re going to **die!** We’re going to die here, all alone, and there’s nothing we can do! **It’s over!”**_

Rouge and Rider looked at the poor girl, concern written all over their faces.

 _Is this really it…?_ the seductive duo thought. _Is this… all we can do?_

Neither of them could muster up an answer.

[Luckily, though… they didn’t need to.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XKba81lEPU)

The vault door was abruptly torn off its hinges, creating this shrill roar that echoed into the trio’s ears. They jolted up to see Shadow rushing into the room, joined by Illyasviel and Berserker (the latter of whom was carrying the door in the first place).

_00:04:56_

“Shadow…!” Rouge called.

“You—You actually came…?” Rider breathed.

_00:03:25_

There was no more time to lose. The black hedgehog grabbed the Chaos Emeralds off of Rouge and raised one into the air.

_00:02:87_

**_“Chaos… CONTROL!”_ **

_00:01:71_

A bright light picked up within the room. It coalesced into a sphere of energy, growing to surround the six rogues until finally letting loose into a mighty explosion. The six disappeared from the vault—

**_00:00:00_ **

—and not a moment sooner, the timer finally hit zero.

* * *

June 20, 2001 – 12:15 PM

**Prison Island  
Airspace**

Above Prison Island, the air was still.

The sky was blue, the sun was shining; all seemed well.

And then, a loud boom proceeded to rock the isle.

Explosions went off all throughout the military installation, catching all the personnel off-guard. Some were vaporized instantly, others made a valiant attempt at getting away—but ultimately, they all fell victim to the same thing.

From the Iron Gate to the Metal Harbor, no place was safe from Eggman’s absurdly powerful payload. Detonation after detonation disrupted the peace—

—and it all culminated in one _humongous_ eruption, engulfing the entire island and sending a shockwave rippling across the ocean.

Barely a few miles out was the Tornado III, flying as fast as it could away from the devastation that had just ensued. The heroes onboard sweated heavily, having escaped by the skin of their teeth.

“Is it… Is it over…?” Rin asked, once everything was quiet for long enough.

“I—I think so…” Amy trailed off.

Everyone—barring Tails, who was still flying the Tornado—turned their heads to look at the remnants of Prison Island. Smoke was covering the entire area, and much of the forest had been scorched away by the fire. Acid was even starting to flow from the facilities, harming whatever was left of the ruined environment.

Sonic grimaced. “Dang… There goes the ecosystem… and everyone on the island…”

“I can’t believe this…” Shirou said, his heart clenching. “So much death, so much damage… and for what? What is all this for…?”

_And Illya… my sister…_

_…she’s involved in this._

_She’s **willingly** involved in this._

_She’s working with Shadow to cause all this destruction._

_And this is **worth it,** to her._

_…why?_

_Why is she doing this?_

_Why is she so mad at me and Kiritsugu?_

_~~…how can I save her from all the suffering she went through…?~~ _

Saber sensed his distress.

“Shirou… Are you…?”

He briefly averted his eyes, before returning his gaze back toward the horizon. “…I’ll be fine,” he said. “We’ll—talk about it later.”

“…if you insist.”

Archer glanced at both them, then Rin.

She wasn’t feeling too hot, either—an abject sense of failure was hovering around her at the sight of the destroyed isle.

 _…we’ll get them, Rin,_ he assured her. _Caster and Eggman—they won’t get away with this._

Rin pursed her lips, and nodded.

_…thank you, Archer._

“We should reach Central City in about thirty minutes,” Tails said, his own tone noticeably subdued. “We’ll figure something out from there.”

None of the others had anything else to say.

They just accepted the kitsune’s words…

…and steeled themselves for the upcoming uphill battle.

* * *

 **Space Colony ARK  
** **Hallway**

A tear ripped through the air, and another explosion of light ensued.

And all of a sudden, the Space Colony ARK was no longer unpopulated.

Shadow spawned on the floor, Chaos Emeralds still in hand. He was entirely unfazed by the act of Chaos Control, being the most used to its idiosyncrasies.

Everyone else, on the other hand…

Sakura and Illya fell flat on their faces, as elegant as a flea. Rouge and Rider stumbled a bit, but otherwise managed to stay on their feet.

And then Berserker sent the whole place rumbling with his fall.

Shadow grimaced at the sound.

_…I hope nothing came loose because of that._

Thankfully, that was it. The six rogues had made it out of Prison Island, completely unharmed.

Sakura opened her eyes, confused at the lack of fiery pain.

“We’re… We’re alive…?” she whispered. “We’re not dead…?”

Rider went over to her side and helped her to stand up. “Yes, Sakura. We’re safe.”

A tear went down Sakura’s cheek. “Thank… Thank goodness…”

Rouge was also pretty happy, though her nerves was still a fair bit frayed..

“That was quite the close call…” she said. “For a moment, I thought that was the end of us.”

Illya laughed. “Gee, you three are hopeless. Getting trapped in a safe and needing us and Berserker to come help… and here I thought you were supposed to be the ‘World’s Greatest Thief’!”

Berserker grunted, seemingly in agreement.

“Hey, even us treasure hunters can get into trouble sometimes,” the bat girl replied. “At least we’re all safe and sound now. Right, Shadow—?”

But the aforementioned hedgehog was nowhere to be seen. She turned her head in confusion to see him walking down the hallway, not even courteous enough to hear their collective thanks.

She raised an eyebrow.

“What’s up with him…?”

He brought his communicator to his face and activated it.

“This is Shadow speaking,” he said. “We’ve arrived back on the ARK with the three Chaos Emeralds in tow. The mission was a success.”

A burst of static came out of it.

 _“Great work, Shadow!”_ Eggman’s voice crackled back. _“Now we have six of the seven Chaos Emeralds! This will be more than enough for our little demonstration!”_

Caster’s groan flitted through the speaker. _“That could’ve gone more smoothly,”_ she said. _“We nearly got held up by that twin-tailed Magus and her new companion. That fox and Archer packs some serious firepower…”_

 _“Ha! They’re just a nuisance at **best,”** _the mad scientist waved off. _“They couldn’t stop our plans if they tried.”_ He cleared his throat. _“Now, Shadow—Caster and I will be returning to the ARK in a few minutes. Don’t go anywhere until then!”_

The radio proceeded to cut off, leaving Shadow with only his thoughts.

The memory of Rouge’s earlier call hit him again.

> _‘This is Rouge. I’ve got a small problem—Sakura, Rider, and I got trapped inside the vault, and right after we got the Chaos Emeralds, too!’_
> 
> _She sighed._
> 
> _‘I guess I won’t be able to call myself a treasure hunter anymore…’_

Sakura’s panicked voice had reached his ears then.

> _‘No, no, this—this can’t be happening! I—I still haven’t—I still have to get back to Shirou—!’_

… ~~~~

 _…Maria…_ he thought. _What would you have thought of these two? Of Rouge and Sakura?_

_Would you be proud of me…? That I went back to save them, despite everything…?_

…

He kept walking, unsure of how to respond.

_…it doesn’t matter._

_It was for the Chaos Emeralds._

_That’s why I saved them._

_Nothing more, nothing less._

~~(Of course, he knew in his heart—~~

~~…that wasn’t true.~~

~~Not in the slightest.)~~

* * *

~~~~ Elsewhere…

* * *

**Pumpkin Hill  
** **Dilapidated Trail**

Lancer frowned.

His gut was acting up for some reason, that familiar yearning for battle once more seeping into his soul.

“Hey, guys…” he began—“do you ever get the feeling that you’re currently missing out on something really, _really_ big?”

Knuckles blinked. “Not really, no.”

“I… can’t say I ever have,” Bazett said, equally confused. “Are you… sensing a Servant or something, Lancer?”

“No, no,” he replied, “it’s just—I’m wondering what all the other Servants are doing while we’re out here. I bet they’ve already gotten into some pretty cool fights…”

~~(Honestly, he has no idea…)~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to include this in the previous chapter, but it was lengthy enough that I’d felt it’d detract from the main draw. Hence, here it is standalone.
> 
> I don’t have much else to say, aside from the fact that I love writing these characters interacting with one another. Seriously, seeing how they bounce off of each other and the insane things going on is a lot of fun. And I haven’t even scratched the surface of _Sonic Adventure 2’s_ major plot beats…
> 
> (Also—poor Sakura. Nothing just ever goes right for her, huh?)
> 
> Well, that’s all for now – see you around!


	6. Streaking Lights, Loud Sounds, and Instinct

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Team Rouge steals the Master Emerald, and Team Knuckles attempt to get it back.
> 
> Things don’t go according to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some dialogue inspired by [Ziggyfin’s _Sonic Adventure 2_ comic](https://www.deviantart.com/ziggyfin/art/SA2-COMIC-Issue-1-Page-10-567872778) on DeviantART.
> 
> Light spoilers for _Sonic Adventure_ below.

June 19, 2001 – 11:05 AM

**Sand Ocean  
Temple Grounds**

For months now, Knuckles the Echidna had been at war with self-professed jewel thief Rouge the Bat.

It had all started when she had infiltrated Angel Island, curious as to what kind of treasures it could hold. It hadn’t taken long for Knuckles to find her and kick her out—but not before she caught a glimpse of the Master Emerald, which she called the ‘prettiest gem in the world’ (her words, not his).

She’d been continuously coming back ever since, aiming to steal his charge by any means necessary. For a while, he’d been able to keep her at bay, his long experience with traps and trickery having been enough—

_~~(They worked on Sonic and Tails, for a time; he’d only gotten better since)~~ _

—and then, a few days ago…

…everything changed.

> _A loud clang rang out from the Master Emerald’s altar._
> 
> _Knuckles dodged another strike from the blue intruder’s spear, the tip of it glowing a dangerous crimson._
> 
> _“Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but you need to calm down!” he yelled._
> 
> _“Like hell I will!” the spearman replied, the desperation in his voice clear as day (despite it being night). “First I find myself here, then I see you handling my Master—!”_
> 
> _He grit his teeth._
> 
> _“—I’ve only just gotten her back; I’m not gonna lose her again!”_
> 
> _The crux of their fight revolved around this: the Master Emerald had detected a new presence, prompting Knuckles to go out and investigate. After searching for a while, he had stumbled upon a pink-haired woman on the floor—bleeding out and missing an arm, much to his shock._
> 
> _He patched her up as best he could, but he didn’t know what else he could do. He took her to the altar afterward, just to be safe—_
> 
> _—which was when Lancer attacked him, believing him to be an enemy._
> 
> _As the two continued to clash, they knew that they had to quickly put an end to this. If they kept prolonging the fight, then there was no telling what could happen to the woman Knuckles had found._
> 
> _The two began to charge up a final blow: Knuckles with his Maximum Heat attack, Lancer with his Noble Phantasm._
> 
> **_“Uraaaaaaah—!”_ **
> 
> **_“Gae—!”_ **
> 
> _A green light suddenly erupted from the Master Emerald, startling them into stopping. That same light was subsequently transferred to the woman, and the duo watched in awe as her wounds were swiftly healed… and her arm was entirely regrown in seconds flat._
> 
> _The light died down not too long afterward—_
> 
> _—and the woman’s eyes flew open in an instant._
> 
> _“Wha…?” she blinked, sitting up on the floor. “What just… happened?”_
> 
> _“Bazett!”_
> 
> _She jolted up in surprise, seeing Lancer rush to her side._
> 
> _“L-L-Lancer! You’re… here!?”_
> 
> _Then she looked at her regrown limb— “Wait… I have my arm back?”_
> 
> _—and then the backside of her hand. “I have my_ **Command Seals** _back!?”_
> 
> _Knuckles put a palm to his temple and sighed._
> 
> Do I—
> 
> Do I even **want** to know what’s up with these two…?

Knuckles, in the present day, shook his head.

_Enough reminiscing. I have a job to do._

He surveyed the desert ruins in front of him, a solemn frown on his face.

“There’s no doubt about it,” he said. “The Master Emerald’s here. I can sense it.”

A laugh. “Whoa, _somebody’s_ all serious today!”

The echidna turned around, spotting Lancer casually fading into view. He was a lot more jovial now, what with his first Master healed and his second Master far away. It honestly reminded him of Sonic – if the hedgehog preferred spears instead of footwork, anyway.

He crossed his arms. “I have to be. It’s my duty to guard the Master Emerald from anything. After what happened the last time someone got to it—”

[ _~~(Thunder, rain, and lightning; danger, water rising—)~~ _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcY6HK1RsKY) ~~~~

“…well, let’s just say now I understand _why_ I was given this fate.”

“Hey, I’m not mocking you for it!” Lancer said, holding his hands up. “I know what it’s like to have something to protect – which is why I’m here.”

He flashed him a Sonic-esque grin. “I mean, you saved my Master, so I might as well repay the favor, right?”

“…hmph.” Knuckles smirked. “You’re more honorable than you seem. Can’t say I disapprove of that.”

Bazett trudged up from behind them, very much sweltering beneath the heat (which wasn’t helped by the black suit she was wearing).

“Phew…!” she panted, wiping her forehead. “It’s hot… way too damn hot. That thief just _had_ to choose a desert to run to, didn’t she? Not a jungle, not a lagoon… a _desert._ _Aaagh.”_

“Don’t worry… we won’t have to be here for long.” The guardian cracked his namesakes as he approached the doors barricading his destination. “We’ll get in, get my Emerald back, and show those girls what for!”

Bazett wasn’t so sure. “Are you sure we can do this, though? We got trounced pretty hard the last time we fought them…”

“They caught us off-guard then,” Lancer chimed in—“plus, you were still recovering from being almost murdered. This time, _we’ve_ got the advantage.” He got out his spear, twirling it behind his body. “And I’m not gonna waste it for anything.”

“…if that’s how you feel, then I suppose there’s not much more to say,” she finally conceded. She drew back her head, feeling her runes powering her limbs. “Alright—let’s go steal back an oversized gem.”

Knuckles was more than ready for this.

“I’ve got you now, you know-it-all bat…” he growled. “You want to play with my Emerald?

_“You’re messing with the wrong guy!”_

* * *

On the other side of the blockade, Rouge had placed her prize jewel down on the nearby carpet.

 _“Ahhhh…”_ she sighed dreamily, basking in the Master Emerald’s glow under the sun. “Look at you – you’re so gorgeous. That brutish echidna wouldn’t what to do with you if his life depended on it.”

Beside her, Rider wearily exhaled. “Can we go now? That ‘brutish echidna’s’ likely to arrive any minute, you know.”

“Hey, give a girl her time!” the thief-spy protested. “With a beauty like this, you’ve gotta appreciate it for as long as you can! Besides,” she waved, “he wouldn’t go _that_ far. How important can one gem be to a guy like him?”

 _You’d be surprised,_ the Servant thought— _especially after the way we left him._

> **“GET BACK HERE!”**
> 
> _In the dark of night, accompanied by a rainstorm of epic proportions, three figures raced through the forest onboard the floating Angel Island._
> 
> _Two of them—Rouge and Sakura—were hoisting a massive gem above their backs. It was green and mean, as heavy as both their weights combined—but nevertheless, it was a cargo the bat girl wasn’t willing to part with._
> 
> _She grinned. “Hahahaha! At last, I’ve gotten my hands on the Master Emerald! All these months of trying, and that echidna’s_ finally _the one with his tail tucked between his legs!”_
> 
> _She hadn’t thought much of Sakura and Rider initially, when they had arrived at her apartment seeking shelter. She’d later let them know she’d be out (to steal the Master Emerald, she didn’t say)—_
> 
> _—and then they’d snuck toward Angel Island with her, revealing their supernatural powers to her and offering to help._
> 
> _~~(They didn’t mention why, aside from apparently sensing ‘a big source of energy’ that they desired.~~ _
> 
> _~~Maybe it was a principle thing.)~~ _
> 
> _From there, it was all a matter of Rider distracting Knuckles and his new entourage while she and Sakura boosted her prize. And lo and behold, it was a crowning success!_
> 
> _Sakura, however, seemed a little nervous._
> 
> _Scratch that, she_ definitely _was._
> 
> _“Th-That Knuckles guy sounds mad…!” she noted as the three continued their getaway. “If he catches up to us…!”_
> 
> _Rider considered her options._
> 
> _They needed a clear escape route, lest they get pancaked into the floor by an angry guardian (who was_ way _too strong for his own good; Rider didn’t want to have to go through him now)._
> 
> _Luckily, she had one just waiting to be used._
> 
> _She quickly took a dagger into her hand and slit her throat, letting her blood fall to the floor in the form of a glyph. Rouge’s eyes widened at the sight—_
> 
> _“Wh-What the—!?”_
> 
> _—right before a beautiful pegasus emerged from the circle, Rider herself already atop her steed._
> 
> _The bat girl spent a couple seconds in a trance. “Oh ho ho,” she whistled—“now that’s one heck of a trump card! I didn’t know you had_ this _up your sleeve!”_
> 
> _She looked at the both of them. “Come on,” she said, “we need to go. We only have this one chance.”_
> 
> _And so, the unlikely trio took to the skies, Knuckles’ group arriving just in time to watch them get away. As the echidna roared in rage, Rouge couldn’t help but laugh triumphantly at what they’d accomplished—_
> 
> _—and beneath the light of the moon, shining through the clouds, Sakura beamed brighter than Rider had ever seen her._

“She’s pretty interesting, isn’t she?”

Rider turned toward her ~~(true)~~ Master, Sakura Matou.

“That certainly isn’t wrong,” she replied, carefully neutral.

The younger Matou was… noticeably happier here.

She was far away from her abusive household, and in the hands of somebody who actually cared about her well-being. While Rouge wasn’t exactly who’d you call ‘respectable company’, she was still leagues better than her so-called brother.

~~(If she ever saw him again, she wasn’t sure if she could stop herself from gutting him instantly.)~~

Sakura smiled. “I… think I really like her. I know what we did last night wasn’t nice, but—I had fun, and no one really got hurt in the end.”

Rider snorted. “Except that echidna’s pride, maybe.”

“I suppose that counts… but that’s nothing special. Nii-san’s had worse happen to him.”

_…I wish I could’ve seen that._

“Well, I suppose it’s time to take this into my treasury,” Rouge finally decided. She hopped off the Master Emerald and stretched her arms. “It’s gonna be a long way to my apartment, but with you two around, the trip should be a cinch—”

**_“There you are!”_ **

* * *

Knuckles crashed onto the scene, debris from the doors scattering all over the floor.

In an instant, Rouge and Rider were on their guards. The latter stood protectively in front of Sakura as Bazett and Lancer emerged from behind the guardian, all three of them looking ready for a fight.

Rouge was not amused by this.

“Oh, not _you_ again!” she shouted. “You just don’t know _when_ to give up, do you!?”

“Of course I’m not gonna give up!” the echidna retorted—“That Emerald’s mine, you got that!?”

She scoffed. _“Yours?_ Like you could ever really care for it, atop that broken shrine on a floating rock! This beauty needs a better home, and that home is with me!”

“The Master Emerald’s home is _Angel Island!_ Which, thanks to you, has now fallen into the ocean— _again!”_

Bazett’s expression became grumpier. “Do you know how drenched we got ‘cause of the fall!? I didn’t think waves could even make a splash like that…!”

She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter what you want—we’re taking back that artifact, fair and square!”

“As if I’d let you, you boneheaded troglodytes!”

Veins popped from both their heads.

_“What did you just call us!?”_

_“Oh, I’ll show **you** who’s a troglodyte!”_

Lancer barked. _Ha ha—man, I am so glad I have Bazett at my side again. She and Knuckles are such a hoot; it’s almost fate that we fell into his camp first._

_Anyway…_

He twirled his spear around, pointing it right at the other Servant. “Nowhere to run now, Rider. Hope you can actually gimme a good fight now—it’d be a shame if you went down as easy as you ran.”

His eyes drew toward the other violet-haired girl in the area. He hadn’t gotten a good glimpse at her during their previous chase, partially owing to how dark and stormy it had been—but here in the sunlight…

_…hmm._

“Got yourself a new Master, I see,” he casually remarked. “I’m not surprised; that weedy kid was the epitome of pathetic. Where’d you pull _her_ from?”

Rider’s stance tensed, and the spearman got the sense that she was glaring at him from behind her blindfold. “That’s none of your business,” she hissed, brandishing her nail-chain threateningly.

“I never said it was. Besides, I had to deal with swapping my Master out for somebody who sucked, too—” **_~~and~~_** _ ~~forced me to kill people, can’t forget ‘bout that~~_ “—so I get _why_ you’d want to ditch ‘im first chance. That being said…”

He raised an eyebrow.

“…I have to ask: did you just happen to find a ‘new-new’ Master waiting around… or is she more of a ‘new- _old’_ Master, if you catch my drift?”

The aforementioned Master shriveled up, inching further behind her dominatrix protector.

Meanwhile…

“What’s so important about this Emerald, anyway!?” Rouge asked. “It’s not like _you_ were getting any use out of it!”

“Oh yeah, and you’d be _so much better,”_ Bazett snapped.

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand,” Knuckles calmly countered. “Not only does it keep my island afloat, the Master Emerald has special powers that can neutralize the energy of the Chaos Emeralds. It’s not some sort of diamond for you to admire—it belongs with me, its guardian!”

The thief-spy stomped up to her months-long rival’s face, sparks practically shooting out from their glares.

“Well, then… let’s just see you take it from us, huh!”

But before a fight could break out between the two of them, they (and their companions) were interrupted by a whirring noise coming from behind. Everyone’s gazes jumped to where the Master Emerald was—

—and they found it being carted off by a yellow claw, connected to a white hovercar flying in the sky.

 _“What the—!?”_ Knuckles gawked.

“Ah— _thief!”_ Rouge shouted.

“Looks who’s calling who a thief…” Bazett snarked.

“Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho ho!” The man inside—a portly scientist with an impressively bushy mustache—peered out from the cockpit in self-satisfied delight. “I came here following the signal from a Chaos Emerald, but I never could’ve imagined that I’d find the _Master Emerald_ just sitting around!”

He sneered at the gathered out-of-worlders. “And you’ve even gotten a few new friends, too. Trying to compensate for your incompetent supervision, Knuckles?”

The echidna growled, pumping his fists together. “Eggman…!”

“Eggman?” Lancer blinked. “You call this guy _Eggman?”_

Sakura and Rider looked to their thieving friend.

“R-Rouge?” the teenager called. “Do—Do you know who this is…?”

Rouge pursed her lips.

“This is the infamous Dr. Ivo Robotnik. He’s a mad scientist bent on ruling the world, his only nemesis being Sonic the Hedgehog.”

His reputation could not be understated. G.U.N.—and by proxy, the United Federation—had his profile on high-alert, given his involvement in the disaster that was the flooding of Station Square three years ago.

Why was he here now, though?

_What is he planning?_

“So… he’s a bad guy…” Sakura whispered, shivering slightly.

Rider shifted closer to her Master, frowning intently.

Bazett bared her teeth.

“We did _not_ come all this way to be defeated by some loony scientist!” she shouted, hands clenched into fists. “Put the Master Emerald down, or else!”

“Ha! And what can _you_ do, girl?” Eggman taunted. “You’re barely even a gnat compared to _my_ genius! Why don’t you go home and play with your little Servants, or whatever?”

The Enforcer froze (as did the abused Matou).

_He—He knows…?_

_He knows what **Servants** are!?_

“This may not be exactly what I came here for, but I’m not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Finders keepers, _knuckleheads!”_

He started lifting off, leaving Bazett at a loss as to what to do.

 _We can’t let him keep a hold on that Emerald,_ Bazett communicated to Lancer _—not with its power, and definitely not with what he knows!_

 _Read you loud and clear, Master,_ her Servant mentally replied. _He’s pretty high up, though, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to take him down without damaging that gem, too._

_Damn it…! What are we supposed to do…!?_

Independent of their conversation, Knuckles decided to take a chance.

He leaped toward the Master Emerald.

“Not if I can help it!”

**_SMASH!_ **

Eggman reeled back, a miniature explosion having gone on beneath his pod.

_“WHA—!?”_

Bazett and Lancer’s jaws dropped, as did Rouge and Rider’s.

“Ah— _Ahhhhhhhhh!”_ screamed the bat girl.

 _The Master Emerald…!_ Bazett thought—

— _he just shattered it!_ Rider unknowingly finished.

Indeed, Knuckles had smashed the Master Emerald into several pieces, the impact of which had sent the shards soaring across the land like shooting stars. He dropped down on the ground, clearly not pleased with what he just did—but understanding its necessity nevertheless.

 _Damn…_ Lancer whistled. _Now that takes **guts.**_

Rouge stared in horror for a little while longer.

 _“You!”_ She grabbed Knuckles by his shoulders and shook him like a ragdoll. “What was _that_ all about!? What have you done to my Emerald!?”

He pushed himself off of her. “Hey, I can restore it by collecting the pieces—better that than having it be in Eggman’s hands! Besides, it’s not _your_ Emerald!”

Atop his Egg Mobile, Eggman finished recovering from the blast and decided on a different course of action. “Bah, it doesn’t matter. Nothing about this changes my plans,” ~~aside from the confirmation of more Servants—which was negligible, given his current set of allies.~~ “I’ll return to the base and check again for other signals.”

He headed for the pyramid in the distance, catching Rouge’s eye.

_Whatever’s he up to… I can’t just let it slide by me._

She flapped her wings and started to fly, casting one last look at Team Knuckles.

“I’m not gonna give you a single piece,” she declared, her intentions obvious to all. “All of the world’s gems are _mine_ to keep!”

She took off toward the horizon, Sakura and Rider sparing only a couple of seconds before following after her.

Knuckles aimed a glare at her, punching in her direction.

“We’ll see about that, bat girl!”

* * *

**Wild Canyon**

Thankfully, a lifetime of being the guardian of the Master Emerald meant that Knuckles had a keen sense of where its shards had happened to land.

Hence, his first destination was the fairly out-of-the-way Wild Canyon, conveniently fairly close by to the border of Sand Ocean. ~~~~

“I can’t believe this,” Knuckles was grumbling—“first that bat girl steals my gem, then Eggman tries to do the same thing… I’m beginning to think I should take Tails up on his security system offer.”

Lancer stretched his limbs. “Man… is this how every day of your life tends to go?” he asked. “‘Cause if it is, I can tell I won’t be bored any time soon.”

“Trust me, it isn’t,” he denied. “I spend my days mostly sitting by the altar or exploring the island. Rouge’s heists are just… a recent thing.”

_One that I wish would just stop!_

Bazett hummed, tapping her arm. ~~~~

“You know,” she said, struggling to find her voice, “it was… really brave of you, breaking the Master Emerald back there. Most Magi I know couldn’t even dream of sacrificing one of their artifacts like that.”

“I did what I had to do,” Knuckles replied. “Like I said, it’s better off being broken than put to use powering Dr. Eggman’s schemes.”

He let out a huge sigh.

“Still means I’ve gotta deal with the consequences, though. With the Master Emerald in pieces, it’s up to me to get out there and put it back together.”

And _that_ would be one heck of a task.

Last time, the pieces flew as far as the Egg Carrier’s Sky Deck; for all he knew, this time he’d have to go to _space_ to get whatever’s left by the end.

~~(He did not want to go to space.)~~

“Just you?” Lancer noted. “Nobody else?”

“Sonic and Tails have their own things to do, and I don’t trust off-islanders easily. I just believe in myself, someone who doesn’t rely on others.”

 _…that sounds like a very lonely existence,_ Bazett thought.

“…would you be willing to rely on us, then?” she quietly asked. ~~~~

“If you want to,” he replied—“you’re not the worst guests I’ve ever had, and you’ve already been a lot of help, admittedly.” He paused for a second, looking forward at the canyon in front of him. ~~~~

“Enough wasting time—I’ve got Master Emerald shards to look out for. Just you wait, Rouge…!”

He kicked a rock and dove into the fray, officially beginning his second hunt for the Master Emerald.

Bazett and Lancer briefly glanced at one another.

“Oh, what the heck,” Lancer sighed. “It’s not like I’m gonna get much else done, with Rider out of the picture. I still haven’t repaid that favor, anyway. Yo, Knux! Wait up for us!”

He hopped in after him, leading Bazett to shake her head in exasperation.

“Guess that’s my decision made for me.”

_Please, let this journey be **some** semblance of sane…_

* * *

**Dry Lagoon**

In the air, Rouge whistled.

“An oasis, out here in the desert…? My, how convenient!”

The spy had initially planned to trail Dr. Eggman first—but eventually she settled on shooting a transmitter onto his Egg Mobile. ~~(He never even noticed. How perceptive of him.)~~ She could divine his location later; right now, she had more important matters to take care of—

Like seeking out where all the Master Emerald shards had gone.

“I gotta say, I expected worse from my treasure-hunting senses. That infuriating echidna _did_ break my Emerald over Sand Ocean—” _like a childish brat,_ she couldn’t help but think. “Ah, well… it’s better than nothing, I suppose!”

She confidently landed on the ground, ready to start her search—before hearing two sets of footsteps approaching her position.

She turned around.

She blinked.

“…oh.”

Much to her surprise, she was greeted by Sakura and Rider, the latter casually carrying the other girl on her back.

“You’re… still here,” she said.

“That we are,” Rider confirmed, letting her Master get off her back.

Rouge had assumed that their alliance was one of convenience. The concept of them being long-term partners seemed ludicrous, no matter how nice they were—mostly because the only person who had _ever_ managed to occupy that slot for her was Topaz.

“You don’t have to keep shadowing me,” she told them. “I’m not going to force you to help, and… it’s gonna get real dangerous for me soon enough.”

_~~Because I have a doctor to spy on, and a fifty-year-old conspiracy to unravel.~~ _

“I know,” Sakura whispered—“but you’ve been so kind. I—I don’t get a lot of that.”

There was Shirou-senpai. There was Fujimura-sensei. There was Rider, her Servant.

~~(Anyone else was a pipe dream.)~~

“That’s why I—” She gulped. “That’s why I want to stay with you. Even if it means doing some slightly questionable things… it’s better than I can usually hope for, and I don’t wanna lose that.”

Rouge didn’t want to dissect whatever the hell lay behind _that._

“I go wherever my Master goes,” Rider bluntly stated, “and you are far and away the best of our current options. Whatever you need of us, we can fulfill it.”

“Is that so…?”

Pushing Sakura out for safety purposes clearly wouldn’t work; she got the sense that both of them were stubborn enough to ignore it anyway.

So, she’d just have to take this as it was.

“Alright,” she replied. “If this is what you want to do, I won’t question it. Let’s go show up that insufferable guardian, and take back our prize!”

This got Sakura and Rider to smile, a little bit inspired by her confidence.

_That’s a good start._

The bat girl looked into the grassy plaza and narrowed her eyes. Not too far away from the nearby shrine was some G.U.N. Hunters, harassing a baby turtle for… no real benefit, as far as she could tell.

“First things first, though… I think those two robots there need a lesson in manners. What do you two say?”

Sakura’s face darkened. “You know, that sounds like a good idea.”

“Quite,” Rider nodded. “Ready at your command, Master.”

* * *

~~The G.U.N. bots never saw them coming.~~

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter’s title is derived from the lyrics to Knuckles’ theme, _Unknown from M.E._
> 
> This was meant to be part of a trio of rival encounter snippets.
> 
> As you can see, it got so far out ahead of me, it’s not even funny.
> 
> The first Knuckles/Rouge encounter starts kind of abruptly—the two are just in a desert with the Master Emerald for some reason, with very little context given. I wanted to fix that, and… uh, admittedly, I might have gone too far with that.
> 
> It’s probably a good thing I made this fic a disordered collection, in retrospect. A full-game fic would probably take me forever-and-a-half to finish (just look at how long I’m taking with _Star Allies, Unite!)._
> 
> Hopefully though, this chapter makes up for the lack of focus I’ve been giving Teams Knuckles and Rouge. I really do care for all these characters; it’s just that the others tend to have more interesting moments I can draw upon.
> 
> Well, that’s all for now – tune in next time for the Speed/Mech rival encounters!


	7. Boss: Suitable Opponent (Round 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonic and Shadow; Tails and Eggman.
> 
> Shirou and Illya; Rin and Caster.
> 
> Two worlds worth of heroes and villains—
> 
> —how will they mix, in this brand-new paradigm?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Light spoilers for _Sonic Adventure_ below, in the Tails vs. Eggman section.

* * *

Team Sonic / Team Shadow

* * *

June 19, 2001 – 10:32 PM

**Central City  
Parking Lot**

After a hard-fought battle, the **F-6t BIG FOOT** finally crashed onto the ground.

Sonic, Shirou, and Saber stood in front of the mech, watching as its G.U.N. pilot scrambled away from the cockpit. Sirens echoed from far away, indicating the impending arrival of reinforcements.

“That was… harder than I expected,” Saber stated, returning to a semi-relaxed stance. “Modern-day technology should be weaker than Heroic Spirits on average, and yet…”

“It’s gotta be ‘cause of those new Chaos Drives, plus Eggman forcing them to up their game,” Sonic figured, crossing his arms. “Man, what a total pain in the butt!”

Shirou slouched, sweating profusely from the amount of dodging he’d had to do.

“No kidding…” he said. “If the military’s got this type of firepower, then we’d better get the heck outta here. I don’t want to be facing _more_ of them, if that’s what they’re willing to do.”

“That’d be a wise decision, I feel,” Saber agreed.

Sonic frowned.

_…I don’t get this._

_Even putting aside their dislike of me, there’s gotta be a reason why G.U.N.’s so bent on pinning **me** for this crime._

_It can’t be Metal Sonic behind this—Eggman hasn’t sent him out in years, and everyone would be able to see his robotic nature. So, who…?_

Just then, the hedgehog noticed something odd out of the corner of his eye. He glanced back toward the fallen mech—

—and what he saw shocked him beyond belief.

_“What…!?”_

Shirou and Saber followed his gaze.

“N-No way…!”

“An enemy…!?”

Standing atop the F-6t BIG FOOT was a brand new face: a black hedgehog who looked almost identical to Sonic. He sported red stripes, sharply-curved spines, rocket-powered shoes…

…and most importantly, he was holding up a green gem to the sky, sparkling beneath the city lights.

[“It all starts with this,”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XKba81lEPU) he said—“a jewel containing the ultimate power…”

 _“That’s the— **Chaos Emerald!”**_ Sonic exclaimed, jaw dropping.

_All this time… it was **him** who framed me!_

_That_ **_faker…!_ **

“So… this is the imposter behind Sonic’s arrest,” Saber said. She couldn’t help but clench her fists, memories of a familiar knight sprouting in her mind. “I must say, it’s uncanny how truly similar in appearance they are.”

“And that Chaos Emerald…” Shirou gulped.

Even from here, the Master-Servant duo could sense its limitless energy, emanating at a level the two had scarcely ever seen.

“…calling it a ‘miracle gem’ is a huge understatement. No wonder everyone wants it so bad…!”

Sonic started to walk forward, raising his voice.

“Now I know what’s going on,” he declared, locking gazes with his dark counterpart. “The military has mistaken _me_ for the likes of _you!_ So, where do you think _you’re_ going with that Emerald?”

He broke into a run, determination present in his glare.

_“Say something, you fake hedgehog!”_

The black hedgehog spun the Chaos Emerald once in the air, catching it with a dramatic grace.

Two words exited his mouth:

**_“Chaos Control!”_ **

Streaks of light picked up from around the area and swiftly coalesced toward the gem, forming an enormous green glow that was blinding to look at. Rings of energy circled around the sphere, spinning and spinning until—

—in a bright flash, the hedgehog disappeared.

Shirou and Saber’s eyes went wide.

 _“He’s— **gone!?”**_ they cried together.

But no, he wasn’t.

They quickly whirled to face Sonic, and as it turned out, he was still there—

—he was simply speeding by Sonic’s position, the Blue Blur himself barely able to spot this through his enhanced reflexes.

“Wow… he’s fast!” Sonic said. And then he noticed his doppelganger standing atop a building—which, while not impossible to reach with speed alone, wasn’t exactly an easy feat to accomplish. Unless… “Hey, it’s not his speed; he must be using the Chaos Emerald to warp!”

“You can do that!?” Shirou asked, incredulously.

“I guess so—it’s news to me, too!”

“Hmph,” the black hedgehog hummed. “When I heard there was another hedgehog running around, I just had to come look. I gotta say, you definitely do resemble me—like a reflection of a shadow. Unfortunately… I’m not impressed.”

“You fiend…!” Saber readied her invisible blade and attempted a leap toward Sonic’s imposter. “You won’t get away with this!”

Shirou reached out a hand. “Saber, wait—!”

The other hedgehog smirked, and snapped his fingers.

**_“ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAR!”_ **

A large shadow fell over the swordswoman, and down came a massive gray titan, bearing an equally-massive axe-blade to use against her. Only her long-honed instincts allowed her to block the ambush, sparks flying from the impact.

Her breath hitched. “Berserker…!”

Now it was Sonic’s turn to be utterly flabbergasted. He pointed a shaky finger at the Servant, eyes unconsciously drawn to his sheer size and insane amount of muscles.

“B-B-B- ** _Berserker!?_** You mean, that big guy’s a Servant from _your_ world!?”

“Yep,” Shirou gulped. “And if he’s here, then that means…”

Berserker tore himself away from the arrangement, leaping away to land on the same rooftop Sonic’s imposter was on. Coming up from behind him was another face Shirou and Saber knew: a little girl in a violet winter coat, blessed with long white hair and brilliant red eyes.

He took a step back. “…Illya is, too…”

“You curs…” Saber ground out. “Working together to wreak havoc… have you no shame!?”

Illya smiled dissonantly at him. “Hello there, onii-chan. So, this is who you ended up with.” She gave Sonic a long lookover. “He’s cute, but he’s nowhere near as cool as Shadow here.”

Sonic growled.

“Let us reintroduce ourselves,” she continued, curtsying elegantly. “My name is Illyasviel von Einzbern, Master of Berserker.”

“And I’m Shadow the Hedgehog, the world’s one and only Ultimate Lifeform.”

The child-esque Master tilted her head. “I’d love to stick around and have fun with you three, but we’re in a bit of a hurry. So we’ll just have to save it for another time!”

Shadow nodded, holding up his Chaos Emerald tauntingly. “There’s no time to play games. Farewell!”

In another flash of light, the three rogues disappeared from the scene. The heroes brought up their arms in response, shielding their eyes from the brightness.

 _“Gah—!”_ Sonic grunted.

_Those two… who **are** they?_

Before he could ruminate on their counterparts more, a series of spotlights proceeded to shine down on them.

_“Don’t move! Stay where you are! Keep your hands raised above your head, or else!”_

“Oh, not again…!” he groaned.

An army of G.U.N. soldiers was surrounding the trio, accompanied by G.U.N. Hunters and Beetles alike—the latter of which were the source of the spotlights. They were armed with guns and riot shields, too—and Sonic knew that they couldn’t escape this time.

“There’s too many of them,” Shirou said, nervously. “Any wrong move, and that’s it for us!”

“If only we hadn’t gotten sidetracked by Shadow and Illya’s appearance,” Saber cursed—“then we might’ve been able to get away in time! As it is now…!”

Sonic shook his head, before reluctantly holding up his hands. “No use crying over spilled milk,” he said. “Tails… it’s all up to you now.”

His two companions followed suit, letting the military squad come closer to take them in. As handcuffs were placed over their wrists, Sonic vowed this—

_Shadow… Illya… Berserker…_

_Next time, we’ll get you for sure!_

* * *

On the outskirts of Central City, three villainous figures warped into an abandoned alleyway.

 _“Hahahahahahahaha!”_ Illya was laughing joyously, her spirits lifted as high as could be. “That was _amazing!_ Did ya see the look on everyone’s faces? Did ya, did ya?”

“Hmph.” Shadow crossed his arms and smirked. “I did. It’s hard to forget, given what a spectacle we made.”

He wasn’t typically one for excessive theatrics, but he _did_ have to admit—there was a bit of amusement to be had, over taunting his duplicate’s party so.

They had been thoroughly trounced, humiliated before the fight could even begin. He couldn’t have asked for a better result.

“I wish I could’ve spent more time playing with onii-chan,” the homunculus sighed—“but we _do_ have a mission to finish, first.” She brought her hands together, and smiled menacingly. "Oh well. I’ll get him, sooner or later. Prison won’t keep him away from me for long.”

Berserker nodded in agreement. If ordered to, there really would be nothing to stop him from going after Shirou.

That was… admittedly a little creepy, but it’s not like Shadow particularly cared one way or the other what happened to him.

~~(He hurt Illya, knowingly or otherwise.~~

~~She wouldn’t deny him her revenge.)~~

She turned to Shadow, curiosity glimmering in her eyes. “Say, by the way—what was with that hedgehog? He looks so much like you…”

The aforementioned hedgehog hummed.

It really _was_ odd. There were countless Mobians on the planet, with quite a number of shared appearance and abilities between some of them—and yet, as far as he could tell, Sonic was the only hedgehog of his type: faster than the speed of sound, and seeming like a distortion of the Ultimate Lifeform.

_It can’t be coincidence that he exists alongside me – especially with what I’ve heard of him._

He had said he wasn’t impressed by him, but still… something about the hedgehog bothered him.

“It might be a coincidence. It might not be. It doesn’t matter.” Shadow leaned back, putting it out of his mind. “We have our Chaos Emerald, and if G.U.N. wishes to pin Sonic down instead of us, then that’s fine by me.”

He cast Illya an oddly warm smile. “Now, it’s time to get to our next destination. Remember how I mentioned the Space Colony ARK?”

“Space Colony…” Her eyes instantly lit up. “Wait, don’t tell me—! We’re actually gonna get to see a real, actually-functioning _space station!?”_

Shadow chuckled.

For all that she acted like a grown-up… her sense of childish wonder hadn’t left her yet.

_She really is like Maria, deep down._

Berserker seemed pleased by this development, too—Shadow thought it heartwarming, knowing that she had at least one ally on her side beyond him.

“With the power of Chaos Control, there’s no limits to where we can go. Even space is nothing on my reserves. Shall I prove it to you?”

Her sparkling visage told him her answer. “Yes, please!”

“Very well. You’re in for a treat.”

He held the Chaos Emerald up, called out **“Chaos Control!”** as usual—and just like that, the trio had completely vanished, as if they had never even been in the alleyway.

* * *

Team Tails / Team Eggman

* * *

June 20, 2001 – 11:56 AM

**Prison Island  
Weapons Bed – Aircraft Carrier**

[Mayhem was erupting from all over the Weapons Bed.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99FU_1BXlWQ)

Several of the aircraft carriers were on fire, explosions ringing out from just about everywhere. A lot of the G.U.N. robots—be them Hunters or Hornets or whatever else—were laying destroyed on the runways, causing no shortage of panic to whichever personnel had the misfortune to be present on this day.

 _“Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho ho!”_ Eggman cackled in delight, his glasses glinting as he basked in his hard work. “And there goes the neighborhood! Those G.U.N. soldiers will be too distracted to detect our presence now.”

“That’s… certainly not wrong,” Caster said.

She would’ve expected this level of destruction from Berserker and her Master, but… most of this had come from the doctor in his miniature mech alone.

Caster and Assassin had barely needed to help.

 _If nothing else, his dedication to his goals are something worth appreciating,_ she thought. _I just hope he doesn’t turn that dedication back on me._

“Wow, you’re really good at this, Dr. Eggman!” Illya beamed. “Don’t get me wrong, Berserker can do better any day—but it’s a good effort either way!”

Eggman preened. “Hmph! When you’ve been in this business for as long as I have, destruction like this becomes second nature.” ~~(In the background, Sakura shifted uncomfortably.)~~ “But enough of that!”

He turned to face the crowd in front of him, all of whom were split up into three groups: Shadow, Illya, and Berserker; Rouge, Sakura, and Rider—and finally, there was him, Caster and Assassin.

This would be his greatest operation yet—and he wouldn’t get any second chances if they failed now.

“Shadow, Rouge, all of you!” he called. “Are you ready for this?”

Shadow raised an eyebrow. “Of course.”

“Do you have to ask?” Illya laughed.

Berserker growled gutturally.

Rouge winked. “Ready when you are, doctor.”

Sakura took in a breath. “Y-Yeah. We sure are…”

Rider frowned, barely bothering with a grunt.

“As if I could back out at this stage,” Caster said.

“I’m bound by her law,” Assassin shrugged, “so whatever.”

Eggman grinned.

“Excellent! It’s time to get on with the show. All units, _move ou—!”_

[ **_“Sonic!”_ ** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqmFbfVlvD4)

And then, a pink blur abruptly _slammed_ into Shadow.

The black hedgehog froze, two arms wrapping around him in an affectionate hug.

_What the—?_

“Oh, Sonic! I thought I’d never see you again! I’m so glad you’re okay!”

That was—a voice. A girl’s voice.

Giving him a hug for the first time since Maria.

_What—What do I do? Do I even say anything?_

_This doesn’t feel that bad, but—_

_ Maria, help me—! _

Much of the gathered cast looked at the pink intruder—Amy Rose—with one of three emotions: confusion, annoyance, or amusement.

“My, my—how interesting,” Rouge said, stifling her laughter.

“Ooh, who’s _this?”_ Illya piped up. “Another nuisance we have to get rid of?”

Caster brought out her arms, hands glowing with magic. “A cute hedgehog, hmm…? I think I’ve found myself a nice doll to dress.”

Amy broke out of her trance, catching a glimpse of who exactly she was embracing.

_Wait a minute… **black** spines…?_

She jumped away, startled by Shadow’s appearance. “Hey, you’re not Sonic! Who are you!?”

Eggman stepped menacingly toward her.

 _“I’m_ the one who should be asking the questions here!”

“D-Dr. Eggman!?”

It was then that Amy realized what kind of predicament she was in. She looked up and spotted nine pairs of eyes on her, each with a different kind of expression.

Illyasviel’s innocent sadism—

Berserker’s red-hot glare and bulk—

Caster’s mystical menace—

Rider’s silent, but deadly beauty—

Shadow and Sakura’s confusion—

And most dangerous of all, Eggman’s merciless aura, radiating a level of callousness that was as frightening as ever.

To say any of these faces were even _close_ to being on her side would be… extremely disingenuous, at _best._

And she knew it.

“Why, hello there!” Assassin waved.

**_“Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!”_ **

In panic, the pink hedgehog backed away and took off in the opposite direction from them.

“Hey, don’t run!” Illya pouted—“We’re not ruffians or anything!”

“Grrrr…! What terrible timing!” Eggman groused. He briefly turned toward his allies. “Leave her to me and Caster! You six go on ahead! Remember your mission!”

Shadow shook his head, bringing himself to his senses.

“Come on, Illya,” he said, “we have to get going.”

“Fine… but we’re heading to find onii-chan soon after!”

The two squadrons disassembled and broke toward their respective destinations, leaving Eggman, Caster, and Assassin behind to take care of the unexpected gatecrasher.

 _I can’t believe this!_ Amy was thinking, running toward the edge of the airstrip. _Dr. Eggman, here!? And working together with so many people!?_

_I can’t handle them all alone…! I’ve gotta get out of here and find Sonic!_

But she soon found her escape cut off by an impassible ocean, wherein the next visible piece of terrain was a fair distance away.

“Oh no…” she muttered. _This is bad!_

She nervously turned around to see Eggman stomping toward her, tailed by two of his newest associates.

“Prepare yourself, Amy!” he declared, aiming his Volkan Cannon at her.

“You’re quite the stellar catch,” Caster said, a sinister smile on her lips. “I’m gonna have a lot of fun with you after we capture you.”

“Don’t take it too hard,” Assassin quipped—“we don’t have anything against you! You’re just in the way.”

Amy got out her Piko-Piko Hammer, holding it defensively against the trio of diabolical masterminds (well, duo plus a lackey).

“S-Stay back!” she said. “I’m warning you!”

* * *

Close by in the air, Team Tails had caught sight of the villainous trio approaching on Amy.

“That’s Amy,” Tails noted—“and Eggman, too! What’s _she_ doing here!?”

Rin’s breath hitched. “It’s not just him…! Look! That’s Caster and Assassin, standing by his side!”

“That’s strange,” Archer said—“a Servant like her shouldn’t be taking such a course…”

As far as the bowman remembered, Caster preferred to stick around her established playfield—back in Fuyuki, that was Ryuudou Temple. And Assassin wasn’t supposed to be able to leave the temple’s gates, either.

So for the both of them to be out here like this…

_…I don’t like this. We have to act, fast!_

He stood up. “Tails! I think we need to make an intervention!”

“Gotcha!” The kitsune pressed a few buttons on his control panel, a determined look on his face. “You might went get off, Archer—I won’t be able to carry you after this!”

The Servant acquiesced, leaping of the platform he was on and landing comfortably on the aircraft carrier.

Rin looked at Tails, unsure of what he was planning. “Tails, what do you mean by that? Are—Aren’t we gonna land and help him?”

“I’ll do you one better: we’re gonna take the fight to them ourselves! Watch this! Activating Cyclone mode… now!”

“Wh-Whoa!”

The monoplane began to transform before Rin’s eyes. She watched in awe as its rear and wings were retracted, as was the ‘passenger seat’ that Archer had been using. A short time later, the aircraft had become a bipedal mech, sporting an engine beneath its two cockpits.

_No way…! A plane that can become a walker!? That’s—_

_…as much as I hate to admit it, that’s not a bad idea._

_~~I can still totally do better than that…~~ _

The newly-identified Cyclone crashed onto the ground, standing squarely against Eggman’s little entourage.

Amy looked visibly relieved. “Tails! Boy, am I glad to see you!”

“Get down, Amy! We’ve got this!” Tails told her.

 _“We?”_ Amy repeated, eyes darting back and forth between the girl in his spare cockpit and the red-clad guardian beside them. “Hey, who are _those_ two?”

Naturally, Eggman wasn’t pleased by this turn of events.

[“You…!” he snarled.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWjozTNgBnU) “Trying to get in my way again, Tails!?”

“I knew you were up to something bad, Eggman!” Tails said. “You’re the one who framed Sonic for all those crimes, aren’t you!?”

“Framed him? Ha! I didn’t need to do a thing to get that pesky rodent out of the way!” he boasted. “G.U.N. was all too happy to do that themselves!”

Rin slammed a palm on her fist, clearly incensed. “And I bet the fact that it obfuscated your movements was just a convenient side-effect, wasn’t it?” she rhetorically stated.

The mad scientist raised an eyebrow at her presence, before sharply grinning in recognition. “What’s this? A little girl come out to play—and with a babysitter, too?” Rin and Archer narrowed their eyes, the former in agitation. “Ha! You should just go home—it’s dangerous outside of your parents’ house, you know.”

He sneered.

“I’ll give you three one chance to surrender before things get dicey. You don’t want to cross me now, Tails, not when I’ve got—”

“—Mages and Servants on your side, right?” the kitsune finished, rhetorically. “Yeah, I think I can tell.”

“We’re not gonna listen to someone like _you!”_ Rin shouted. “You think just ‘cause you’ve got Servants means that you’re invincible…!? Fat chance!”

“So be it. Caster! Assassin! Take care of the rabble!” Eggman put on his goggles, Volkan Cannon ready to fire. “I’ll deal with Tails.”

“It’ll be my pleasure,” Caster crooned.

“If our esteemed leader insists,” Assassin chimed.

The two split from the doctor’s side; Caster immediately targeting Amy, Assassin happily prancing toward Archer. Rin swore under her breath, her hands moving to unlatch her seatbelt.

“Tails, I’m going to help that pink girl!” she said. “You can handle this madman, right?”

“No worries. My Cyclone’s built for all kinds of things. I’ll be fine with just me!”

“Good.” The Tohsaka heir took in a breath before taking off. “Alright, Caster… I’m coming for you!”

With their allies divided into dueling sub-groups, Archer engaging Assassin as per his request, Tails and Eggman were left alone to clash in the middle of the aircraft carrier.

“I won’t let you get away, Eggman!” Tails asserted. “You’re going down!”

“Give it your best shot, fox boy,” Eggman retorted. “Killing you will be my pleasure!”

* * *

Rin skid to a stop in front of Amy, naturally putting herself right inside Caster’s line of sight.

“So nice to see you again, Master of Archer,” the ancient mage drawled. “I see we’re not the only ones who’ve partnered up with this planet’s natives. Needed a replacement for that naïve boyfriend of yours?”

“Caster,” Rin growled, cheeks flushed thoroughly red. “I should’ve known it was too much to expect you to be gone. Where’s your Master? Don’t tell me you’ve gotten rid of him already for _Eggman?”_

A vein popped on Caster’s head.

“Don’t you _dare_ insinuate that I’d do such a thing to him!” she suddenly hissed. “He’s just—he’s simply not here right now, th-that’s all!”

 _…hmm?_ the Magus blinked. _She’s more defensive about that than I expected._

_They must’ve gotten separated during the warp to Mobius somehow—but then, how is she still…?_

“Hey, can somebody tell me what’s going on here!?” Amy cut in, hopelessly lost. “Who are you!? Where’d you all come from!?”

Rin turned to her and gave the simplest explanation she could muster. “I’m Rin Tohsaka, that’s Caster, we’re both magic-users from another world, and I’m helping Tails break Sonic out of prison.”

Thankfully, it seemed that was enough to pacify the pink hedgehog. “Wait—magic-users? You mean, like tarot cards, spells, familiars, rituals—”

“Everything except tarot cards, yes,” the Magus swiftly interjected. _Why is **that** her first guess—?_

“Don’t try to conflate my magic with _your_ degraded variant,” Caster sneered. “I am a stronger sorcerer than you will ever be. If you believe your skills are in any way a match for mine…”

She leaped backward and raised her hand, bringing forth a horde of **Dragon Tooth Warriors** to surround Rin and Amy. They jumped in from all about, making both heroes sweat as they gripped their respective tools—a series of gems for Rin, a Piko-Piko Hammer for Amy.

“…then let’s see if you can handle this!”

“Wah!? These aren’t anything like Badniks!” Amy yelped.

Rin scoffed at the sight.

“Hmph! I may not be a Magus from the Age of the Gods, but I’m not about to get brought down by a bunch of familiars!” She pointed a finger at the Servant with her other hand. “Bring it on!”

“Overconfident, are we? I’ll make sure to break that spirit before long!”

The resident hammer wielder sweatdropped.

_Mages…? Eggman? **Skeletons?**_

_This is **not** what I expected when I got ‘you’ll meet some very interesting people’ in my reading today!_

* * *

On the other end of the spectrum, there was Archer and Assassin.

Their blades sang in the daylight, a hurricane of battle erupting on the airstrip.

“Long time no see, Archer,” the samurai jovially stated. “It’s been a while since our last meeting.”

“Assassin,” Archer said. “You’re a sight for sore eyes.” He swiveled Kanshou and Bakuya around, stoically baring into his opponent. “How are you here? I was under the impression you were bound to a single location.”

“Beats me,” Assassin nonchalantly replied. “Last thing I remember was a flash of light, and then we were just dropped in front of Dr. Eggman, myself free to move without any mana.” He let loose another flurry of strikes, forcing the red-clad Servant on the backfoot.

“I don’t mind too much, so far. I’ve got the chance to stretch my legs, and even fight a few more Servants. All I need’s Saber, and then I’ll be golden.”

“She’s in jail right now, but I don’t think she’d be too remiss to you showing up,” Archer deadpanned.

_Damn… of course my foe is the one Servant I barely got to face beforehand._

_Unbound from his previous restrictions, and working alongside both Caster **and** Eggman—_

_Why does life have to get harder every time I think I’ve got a handle on things?_

His task for this summons should’ve been simple: fight as Rin’s Servant, and win her the Holy Grail.

It shouldn’t have involved mascot heroes, or insane scientists, or military conspiracies—and certainly not Masters and Servants existing in tandem in said insane scientist!

At this point, their little impromptu battlefield had become extremely crowded. Skeletal creatures were roaming the runway; Tails and Eggman were firing volleys of stray shots; there was Rin and Amy and Caster to think about—

_The longer this goes on, the more we run at risk of wearing ourselves out before we can break our allies out._

_I’m gonna need to pull out a few stops for this…_

He clipped his lip, and broke away from his and Assassin’s arrangement. A bow was traced into his hand, followed by him putting a twisted spiral sword into its string.

“Oh?” Assassin raised his eyebrow. “That’s a rather strange bow and sword. What does it do, I wonder?”

He reeled it back, aiming toward the horde surrounding his Master and her current ally.

_“My core is twisted in madness.”_

* * *

Explosions lit up the carrier, blowing back several of the Dragon Tooth Warriors.

The arena had gotten more chaotic than ever—but that was of no consequence to Tails and Eggman.

Both of their respective walkers ran about on the airstrip, Volkan Cannons firing almost non-stop at one another.

They were determined to stop the other from interfering, however they had to go about doing that.

Plasma balls soared through the air.

Some shots hit; others didn’t.

Some shots were dodged; others were tanked.

The fight wore on and on, seconds ticking away and feeling like minutes.

Eventually, a realization hit:

They were too evenly matched, and they both knew it.

“Stand still and give up already, you little fox!”

“No way! I’m not gonna lose here—not to you!”

Eggman got in close and hit Tails with his spring-loaded Boxing Glove, sending the Cyclone gliding back a couple yards.

“You’re just a _kid!”_ he growled. “You couldn’t beat me in a million years, even if I let my guard down!”

“Oh yeah?” Tails glared, taking aim and striking him with another Homing Shot. “If that’s the case, then how did **_I_** stop **_you_** from detonating that missile in Station Square?”

The doctor banged his control panel at that unpleasant reminder.

_Grrrr…! You win once as a fluke, and you think that makes you worthy to face me…!?_

_You’re nothing to me, Tails. **Nothing!**_

He looked down at his watch.

The minute hand was rapidly approaching that of noontime.

_I don’t have time for this._

_As much as I would love to get that fox and his new friends out of the way, the military will only be distracted for so long._

_It’s time to make a strategical retreat!_

“Caster! Assassin! Call off the attack!” he barked. “We have other business to get to, and no time to waste!”

Tails’ eyes widened a little, as did Rin’s and Amy’s.

Caster grunted and leaped away, her skeletal familiars following in her wake.

Assassin gave out an apologetic wave to Archer before doing the same.

Eggman levied a harsh look on his nemesis’s sidekick.

“We’ll call this a draw for now,” he said, his tone low and deadly. “I’ll let you go this time… but the next time we meet, you won’t be so lucky!”

His Egg Walker stalked off after the two Servants, leaving the remaining heroes to regroup and recuperate from the encounter.

If Tails’ glare could pierce hearts, Eggman would probably be blown to pieces right about now.

But alas, that’s not what happened—

And now our plucky quartet had a new problem to contend with.

* * *

“That was… not at all what I expected,” Rin panted, wiping her forehead. “I knew Caster was a bitch, but to team up with _Dr. Eggman…”_

“We’re lucky they decided to leave first,” Archer said. “We already have too much to deal with as it is.”

“Tell me about it,” Tails frowned.

_I want to go and figure out what he’s up to… but rescuing Sonic takes priority._

_As soon as Sonic’s out, all bets are off!_

[“Wow, you three were _awesome!”_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqmFbfVlvD4)

And then they remembered that Amy was on the aircraft carrier with them.

The trio turned to face the perky hedgehog, who was gleefully retelling their deeds in excitement.

“You had the exploding gems, he had the exploding sword, Tails had the destruction mech—you all really showed that mean Dr. Eggman who’s boss!”

Rin grinned pridefully. She put her hands to her hips and said, “Well, I _am_ a first-class Magus! Performing Jewelcraft like that is child’s play to me.”

“Why’d you come to this island, though?” Tails asked. “It’s dangerous—and last I checked, you didn’t have a walker or a stealth engine to protect you!”

She closed her hands and brought them together. “I came here to save my darling Sonic, of course!”

 _I dunno why I expected anything else,_ the kitsune internally sighed.

“And it’s not like it was _that_ hard to get here. I just grabbed a big balloon—y’know, like the ones from Twinkle Park—and floated all the way here!”

The three’s jaws dropped like a stone. _“What!?”_

“But that doesn’t make any sense,” Archer complained. “The military would shoot you out of the sky long before you’d manage to land!”

“Like it or not, that’s the way I got in,” Amy affirmed. “The power of love knows no bounds!”

She slung her Piko-Piko Hammer over her shoulder. “You guys are here to save Sonic too, right? Lemme help! If Eggman’s planning something, then you’re gonna need all the help you can get!”

 _…do we have to?_ Archer internally snarked.

 _Shush, Archer!_ Rin replied. _She’s right. She **is** already here, so it’s not like we can get rid of her._

A sigh. _I suppose you have a point._

“You’re not gonna say no, are you…?” Tails slouched. “Fine, you can follow us. Just don’t get in our way!”

“Yay!” the pink hedgehog cheered. “I promise you guys—you won’t regret this!”

“I hope you’re right…” Rin stated. “I don’t want Shirou and Saber to stay here any longer if I can help it. I hope your hammer’s good enough to break through all the security!”

“Like Tails and I aren’t?” her Servant snarked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here’s the rest of the rival encounter snippets I was writing.
> 
> A few notes, for both sections:
> 
>  **Team Sonic vs. Team Shadow:** Not a whole lot of tweaking was needed for this scene. All I had to do was retrofit the _Fate_ characters in, and it basically wrote itself. I decided to take a few cues from _Sonic X’s_ version of it, too, just to add some more flavor. The scene also makes a little more sense this way, in my opinion (why does Shadow greet Sonic in canon, again?).
> 
> I also threw in an extra scene with Shadow and Illya. It’s mostly here to fluff the word count, I’ll admit, but it’s fun either way.
> 
>  **Team Tails vs. Team Eggman:** The dialogue for this scene was essentially written from whole cloth, given how abrupt the beginning of the first Tails vs. Eggman confrontation was. Which is fine by me; it’s a good excuse to get some more practice writing everyone.
> 
> Seeing as how this chapter is already a bit longer than expected, I decided to cut back on the combat this time around. But don’t worry… next chapter’ll make up for it in spades.
> 
> Well, that’s all for now – tune in next time for Tails & Rin vs. Eggman, round 2!


	8. Here I Come, Rougher than the Rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All of Team Heroes finally meet up with one another.
> 
> They learn a few new things from the fated reunion—
> 
> —some of which is enlightening in all the worst ways.
> 
> _(It’s such a bad sign…)_

June 21, 2001 – 9:03 AM (T-8:57)

**Central City  
** [ **Downtown Streets – Alleyway** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFsabY1r9Y4)

The night had passed, and the sun had risen.

However, that didn’t make Team Sonic and Team Emiya’s jobs any easier.

Following their escape from the police on Mission Street, the ‘find Eggman’ crew—Tails, Rin, Archer, and Amy—had found another isolated alleyway to hide out in, somewhat close to the city’s Route 101. There, Tails (with the Cyclone in a car mode, for some reason) had gotten to work on his miniature computer, browsing for the location of the remaining Chaos Emeralds.

As he did that, everyone else took the time to take a well-deserved break.

It wasn’t exactly the most comfortable place to rest for the night… but it wasn’t like they had anywhere else to go.

The only thing walking into a hotel would do was get security called in on them.

(That would simply be embarrassing.)

Rin sighed, leaning back on the bench she was sitting on.

“9:03 AM,” she said, [looking at the fancy communicator Tails had given her.](https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Navigator) “We’ve got just short of nine hours left.”

“Nine hours?” Amy moaned. “You’ve gotta be kidding me! We’ve barely done _anything!”_ She kicked a leftover can and threw her hands up. “Stupid military… if they hadn’t arrested Sonic, none of this would be happening!”

The teenage Magus crossed her arms.

“That’s simplifying things a little bit, don’t you think?” she lampshaded. “It’s not like we could’ve predicted that there’d be a weird clone of Sonic running around.”

_…or that Einzbern and Berserker would cross paths with him._

* * *

**“SHE’S YOUR WHAAAAAAAAAAT!?”**

_Back on the mainland, far away from the devastated Prison Island, several people were reacting in shock to Shirou’s sudden revelation._

_The redhead scratched the back of his head._

_“Yeah, this… came as a surprise to me, as well,” he said. “I never knew Kiritsugu still had family before he adopted me. He never even hinted about it to me.”_

_“Th-That’s a heck of a thing to leave out!” Rin said, trying to reel back in her emotions. “The Einzberns are a prestigious line of Mages. Most other Magi would_ kill _for the chance to get their support—_ literally! _For your father to throw all that away, knowing that’d include his daughter…”_

_Everyone went silent, processing this insane influx of information._

_Sonic crossed his arms and tapped his foot. “So, she’s after you ‘cause she feels your father abandoned her…? That’s pretty twisted, like—something out of a soap opera.”_

_“And she’s got that big scary monster, too,” Amy remembered, shuddering. “It’s really hard to miss ‘im!”_

_Saber looked uncomfortable._

~~So it’s true, _she thought._~~

~~She really is Kiritsugu and Irisviel’s daughter.~~

~~…~~

~~…she’s suffered so much.~~

~~For my mistakes, and his.~~

~~She shouldn’t have to be here, but… she is anyway.~~

~~How can I make it right for her, then, knowing just what she’s lost…?~~

…

_She shook her head. “Be that as it may, she’s still acting as our enemy. And teamed up with that Berserker of hers and Shadow, it’s not likely that she’s gonna listen to reason.”_

_“I know, but…” A fire erupted behind Shirou’s gaze. “Now that I know she’s my sister, I can’t simply leave her alone. Kiritsugu may not have been able to see her again, but she still has me. **She deserves to know she’s loved.** ”_

_Rin’s breath hitched, though no one had actually noticed._

_“You said it,” Tails chimed in. “I can’t imagine life without Sonic or_ [ _Muttski_](https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Ben_Muttski) _—or_ [ _Sonic’s mom_](https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Bernadette_Hedgehog) _and_ [ _dad_](https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Jules_Hedgehog) _, either.”_

 _“Some risks are worth taking, especially for those you care about,” Sonic affirmed. “ **I’d do anything for**_ **my _siblings, adopted or not_** _—so do what you need to. We’ll be backing you!”_

_Something uncomfortable stirred up inside of Rin._

_“Thanks, you two,” Shirou said. He turned to his Servant—no, his friend. “Saber, and you…?”_

_The knight spent a moment contemplating her choices—and then nodded. “It’s a noble wish, Shirou. I can’t fault you for wanting to reconcile with her. If this is your resolve… I’ll be happy to help you fulfill it.”_

~~For all of his flaws, Kiritsugu wouldn’t have wanted this from her, _Saber mused._ Irisviel, too.~~

~~This may be a long shot… but it’s a shot nevertheless.~~

_The red-clad Magus sent a message to her Servant._

<Archer! Can’t you talk some sense into them!? We may not be in Fuyuki anymore, but—in spite of everything, Einzbern’s a **Master!** >

_Oddly enough, the sarcastic bowman had been silent through the whole conversation. It was as if he was lost in thought, passing up several opportunities to rag on Shirou (and Sonic, by proxy)._

<…Archer?>

<…I apologize for my silence, _he finally spoke,_ but I don’t have anything to say. I couldn’t stop him if I tried, now—elder siblings just… have that kind of instinct.>

_…_

_Rin’s throat couldn’t emit any words._

* * *

“Hey, Rin! Are you okay?”

Rin snapped back to her senses.

Amy was looking at her in concern, her voice having interrupted the Magus’s reminiscing.

“Y-Yeah,” she replied. “I’m fine. I was simply… thinking, a little bit.”

“Thinking, huh? Was it about your magic stuff? The world you left? Or maybe…” She started grinning, something that worried Rin immensely. “…were you thinking a _boy?”_

 ** _“What!?”_** Rin shrieked. “A—A—A **_boy!?_** No way; you’re just seeing things!”

(Tails briefly paused his researching to stare at Rin, before turning back to his computer. _Nope, I am **not** getting involved in that.)_

“Oh? That’s not what _I’m_ getting from you~” she teased. “Lemme guess—you’ve got _Shirou_ on your mind? Or could it be that you’ve got a crush on _Archer—?”_

“I do _not_ have a crush—on either that worthless excuse for a Magus, _or_ my irritating lout of a Servant!”

 _< Such harsh words,>_ Archer internally deadpanned, from up on a nearby rooftop. _< Truly, I’ve been blessed with a wonderful Master.>_

_< Not now, Archer!>_

Amy didn’t stop beaming. “Sure, girl. Sure.”

Before the girls could continue their… _enlightening_ conversation, they heard a crackling noise come from Tails’ own communicator. Curious, the two of them moved closer to the fox and his mech, peering in.

 _“Sheesh!”_ Sonic was grousing from the speaker, his team halfway across the city. _“There always seems to be a lot of police around when you don’t need them! You’d think that I was a serial killer or something!”_

“Well, you _are_ currently Mobius’s greatest hero,” Tails remarked, barely batting an eye. “They can’t afford to send anything less than their best if they’re hoping to capture you.”

 _“If nothing else, you do have to admire their tenacity,”_ Saber admitted. _“I’d prefer it if they put their resources toward tracking Dr. Eggman instead, but it is what it is.”_

 _“It’s still annoying, though,”_ the hedgehog said. _“Seriously, they’re covering both the sky **and** the surface. It’s overkill!”_

 _“Speaking of Eggman…”_ Shirou’s voice piped up— _“did you find anything out about him, Tails?”_

“I haven’t found any signals for the other six Chaos Emeralds yet,” the kitsune replied. “I’ve scanned everywhere I can, but no dice. There’s only one place left: they’ve gotta be in **outer** **space**.”

Amy brought a palm to her mouth. _“Eh!?_ Are you serious!?”

“Space!? How the heck are we supposed to get to space!?” Rin asked, completely in disbelief. “No matter how advanced this world is, it’s not that easy to just— _fly_ up there!”

Brilliant. Simply brilliant!

Nothing on Mobius could ever make sense, could it!?

Instead of being sequestered in some stereotypical secret hideout, akin to how a Magus would set up a Workshop, Eggman and his minions were up and above the atmosphere. Tails may have been a genius, but even Rin doubted he could build a rocket capable of getting everyone up there.

…probably. Maybe.

~~(She didn’t actually know.)~~

And even if Tails _was_ able to do such a thing, that’d still take time—time that the seven heroes absolutely did not have.

 _“Uggggggggggggh…”_ she groaned, rubbing her hair in frustration. “This is ridiculous… what are we supposed to _do_ in this situation?”

“Maybe we can steal a space shuttle from one of Eggman’s bases,” Tails hypothesized. “He’s made a few launch sites before, so it shouldn’t be too farfetched to accomplish.”

 _“Heh heh, now that was a fun time!”_ Sonic snickered. _“Remind me to tell y’all how we stopped the Death Egg from flying out of Launch Base.”_

(Rin had several questions about that, but she recognized now wasn’t the time to ask.)

 _“Sounds like an interesting story,”_ Shirou remarked. _“I’d love to hear it sometime.”_

 _“As would I,”_ Saber said— _“but I believe we should let Tails do what he has to. Good luck, Tails.”_

“Mm-hm!” With that in mind, the technician began to tap away at his computer again. “Let’s see here…”

_BANG! BANG!_

Amy and Rin jolted in surprise.

“Wh-What was that!?” the pink hedgehog shouted.

“An ambush!?” the resident Magus freaked.

As it turned out, the sound was coming from the sewer grate on the ground. Warily, the duo approached the pothole, Piko-Piko Hammer and Azoth Sword in hand—

—and then the grate popped open, a certain red echidna sticking his head out of it.

_“AHH! A-Another tanuki!?”_

_“K- **Knuckles!?”**_

Knuckles rubbed his eyes, having spent quite a while in the dark. “Hey! Tails, Amy—long time no see! Phew… I’m way out of it!”

Amy sniffed the air, recoiling at his scent. “You’re telling me…!” she said, disgusted.

“Ew, ew, ew!” Rin let out, moving as far away from him as she could. “Dear god, are all of your friends like this…!? How many do you two and Sonic even have!?”

Tails turned aside, quizzically staring at his other friend. “Knuckles…? What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be on Angel Island?”

“That’s the thing,” he said—“the Master Emerald got shattered again, so I’ve had to go hunting for its pieces. My partners and I went into this coal mine to look for some, but we got lost when we were about to leave.”

…hang on.

“Partners?” the Tohsaka heir repeated. “Wait, what do you mean by ‘partners’?”

The guardian lurched in place—evidently, he was holding up some sort of line.

 _“Hurry up, Knuckles!”_ a woman was demanding. _“I’m tired of being down here! Let me see sunlight already!”_

 _“Okay, okay!”_ he replied. _“Just gimme a moment!”_

He finished climbing out of the pothole—and right as he did, a pink-and-black blur rocketed from its depths, started kissing the ground with a look of bliss.

 _“Oh my god, **yes!”**_ she exclaimed, tears running from her closed eyes. _“Freedom! No more sewers! No more ghosts! I can finally go take a nice and long shower! **AAAAAAAAAAA—”**_

All parties present sweatdropped as the magenta-haired lady sobbed in sheer relief.

“What’s with her…?” Amy asked, exasperated.

 _“Uh, guys?”_ Shirou called. _“Is everything alright? I’m hearing someone crying over there…”_

Sonic snorted. _“Wow, Knux—I didn’t know you were in the business of driving ladies to tears,”_ he snarked. _“Real classy, there!”_

“Shut up, Sonic! It’s not my fault we got lost!”

Tails raised an eyebrow, even as he continued his work. _Sure, I believe that._

The other girls wanted to comment further, but then another head burst from the open drain: a familiar blue-haired, red-eyed pretty boy (as some might call him).

“Jeez, Bazett,” Lancer said, “it wasn’t that bad. Sure, it was cramped, and didn’t at all smell good, but still! I’ve been through worse!”

“Yeah, well— _excuse us_ if some of us haven’t!” She hobbled over to the bench and slouched in it. _“Ohhhhhh…_ Dead Apostles are better than this… where even are we, anyway…?”

Rin’s jaw dropped upon seeing the Child of Light suddenly show up.

“L-L-L-L- ** _Lancer!?”_** she gawked.

Knuckles blinked. “You know him?”

The bluenette turned toward Rin and waved a hand in greeting. “Yo, Master of Archer! Good to see you’re in good straits!” He glanced at Tails and Amy for a second. “I see you’ve got some new friends, too.”

 _“Is that— **Lancer** over there!?”_ Saber’s voice echoed incredulously. _“Sonic, Shirou, we must hurry back! This could be—!”_

Lancer’s grin grew upon hearing the knight (albeit from Tails’ radio). “Don’t get your panties in a twist, Saber—I’m not here to fight. I mean, I’d _like_ to, but even I can tell now’s probably not a good time.”

“So you _do_ know some etiquette.” Archer materialized in front of the newly-arrived trio, one eyebrow raised on his stoic face. “Funny. I thought you were just a rabid dog, barking up all the wrong trees.”

“Ha, ha, ha—go screw yourself, Archer.”

“…by the way,” the bowman continued, “who’s that woman with you? I didn’t think you were in the business of taking in strays.”

“Oh, that’s my Master, Bazett. My real one, not that shitty priest.”

A beat passed.

“What?” Amy blinked, confused by the proceedings.

 _“What?”_ Archer said, genuinely dumbfounded for once.

 ** _“What!?”_** Rin screeched, the gears in her brain spinning rapidly.

 _“…I feel as if we’re missing a lot of context here…”_ Shirou muttered, barely audibly into the speaker.

~~(He wasn’t the only one.)~~

[“No time for explanations now,” Tails interrupted them.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA-bkXHgId0) “I hacked into the government records—it looks like Eggman’s set up a meeting in the President’s limousine. If we can get in there and trace the call, we’ll be able to find Eggman!”

 _“Sounds great!”_ Sonic said. _“We’ll catch you there!”_

The kitsune nodded and gestured toward Rin. “Come on, Rin—let’s go!”

The school idol’s brain stuttered.

_President?_

_As in, president of this **country?**_

_…_

She hopped into the Tornado III’s back seat and strapped in. “Oh, fine! Anything to take my mind off of _this!”_

“Take everyone else to my house, Archer!” Tails said. “We’ll meet back up with you all after we get to the President!”

“Hold up,” Bazett said, jolting upward— _“what_ did you say you people were doing—!?”

She wasn’t able to get a reply though. Tails proceeded to kickstart his engines and dash onto the road, forcing Lancer to duck inside the sewer opening— _“Whoa whoa whoa!”—_ before he became roadkill.

“Ah! Tails, wait!” Amy cried.

But it was too late—he and Rin were gone.

At this point, Archer wasn’t even gonna question it.

“Well, I guess it’s up to me to fill you in on some of the details,” the blacksmith sighed. “Let’s go, then. Emerald Town’s not too far from here.”

“What the heck have you all been doing while I was gone?” Knuckles asked, scratching the back of his head. ““And who exactly are you? I can sense you’re one of those Servant guys, but…”

“It’s a long story. Trust me on that.”

“Is it at least a story with a bathroom included…?” Bazett groaned. “I’m tired of smelling like piss…”

* * *

June 21, 2001 – 10:22 PM (T-7:38)

**Emerald Town  
** [ **Tails’ Lab – Workshop** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A-XZ_saaio)

Rin sat with her head down on a nearby desk.

The last dozen minutes or so had been… contentious, to say the least.

With all ten heroes—Mobians, Masters, Servants and all—finally gathered together in one place, it had been a good opportunity to relax and share any news they might’ve come across. Sure, the Eclipse Cannon was still waiting overhead, but victory was never achieved with a tired mind.

But even in her wildest dreams, could she have imagined…

…what eye-opening revelations Knuckles’ team had in store.

> “Kotomine did **what!?”**
> 
> _Rin looked like she had been physically slapped._
> 
> _“I promise you, I’m not lying,” Bazett affirmed, she and everyone else sitting in Tails’ living room. “Kotomine chopped off my arm, stole my Command Seals—and Lancer—and then he just left me to die. Years of working together, tossed away in an instant.”_
> 
> _“That priest… he did all that?” Shirou muttered, equally as shocked as his partner. “Then that means… he’s the one that was forcing Lancer to kill so many people!”_
> 
> _“Yeesh, that’s heavy,” Sonic grimaced. “Say what you will about Eggman, but at least he has_ some _semblance of a heart.”_
> 
> _Archer crossed his arms, dubious. “Lost your arm, huh…? Funny. I’m seeing two limbs still on you.”_
> 
> _“Yeah, that’s my fault,” Knuckles raised his hand. “I found her and took her to the Master Emerald, and it kind of just… regrew her entire arm.”_
> 
> _The other guardian blinked. “Her… entire arm?”_
> 
> _“Her entire arm,” he confirmed. “Seriously, it was crazy. Never seen anything like it.”_
> 
> _“I’ll say…” Amy frowned. She looked to the poor lady. “Bazett… Are—Are you_ okay, _after all of that…?”_
> 
> _Bazett was silent for a bit._
> 
> _“…I can’t say I’m perfectly healed, but I’m alive. That’s… better than nothing.”_

“I can’t believe that fake priest,” the teenage Magus whispered. “I never trusted him, much less liked him, but—”

…it was hard to deny that the sense of unease he gave her, especially after long periods of time in his presence.

And just to add insult to injury, he was also working with—

> _“—this red-eyed prick. Golden hair, golden armor, makes portals to shoot Noble Phantasms at… can’t forget the way he looks down on everyone, either.” Lancer scowled. “Calling us all ‘mongrels’… tch! If it wasn’t for Kotomine holding my leash, I totally would’ve taken him!”_
> 
> _(Archer lowly hummed, but otherwise didn’t comment.)_
> 
> _“You sure about that?” Knuckles raised an eyebrow. “You_ did _say he’s got an infinite supply of swords ‘n stuff…”_
> 
> _“Eh, that doesn’t matter. Either way, it’d be worth it just to yank that stick out of his—”_
> 
> _Saber slammed her fists on the table, stopping all conversation._
> 
> _“Curses…!” she hissed. “First that vile priest, then that arrogant Archer… who else should I expect from the last War, that deranged and delusional Caster!?”_
> 
> _The whole room flinched at the sound of her voice._
> 
> _She’d_ never _sounded that angry before._
> 
> _Even against Shadow and Berserker, she was only ever frustrated._

…

…the meeting had given Rin a lot of things to think about.

Between Kotomine, her father’s old Servant, and Saber…

Any one of these claims would make for a conversation in and of themselves.

But the one that hurt the most—the one thing that she couldn’t accept, no matter how much she tried—

—was Knuckles explaining where the last known duo from Fuyuki had ended up.

And who Rider’s _real_ Master was.

> _“That bat girl’s been trying to take the Master Emerald for months now,” Knuckles was explaining grumpily. “I keep throwing her off the island, but she’s as persistent as Eggman! And just a few days ago, she came back with some new friends.”_
> 
> _“Another Master-Servant pair, huh…?” Sonic said. “Feels like there’s one of them everywhere nowadays.”_
> 
> _Tails counted off on his fingers. “We’ve got Saber, Archer, and Lancer on our side, and we know Eggman has Caster, Assassin, and Berserker. That means this last Servant must be **Rider!** ”_

~~(It didn’t escape Rin’s notice that their alliance had all three Knight Classes.~~

~~It was a small mercy, in her opinion.)~~

> _“Rider? Last I checked, she was under the control of Shinji Matou,” Rin said. She scrunched her features up. “Please don’t tell me he’s here. For the love of God, tell me he didn’t follow us here.”_
> 
> I do **not** want to deal with his egotistical face right now!
> 
> _“Well, you don’t have to worry about that,” Lancer drawled. “He didn’t make the cut. I’m pretty sure of that.”_
> 
> _The teenage Magus sighed in relief._
> 
> _“…Rider just has this purple-haired kid as her Master instead.”_
> 
> _She promptly froze._
> 
> _Shirou wasn’t any better._
> 
> _The both of them knew only one person with purple hair._
> 
> ~~No. It can’t be.~~
> 
> _“…what did they look like?” the redhead asked, cautiously._
> 
> _“Fairly long hair, red ribbon, meek, quiet, stacked like no one else…” Bazett twitched a bit at that last one. “Hell of a figure, too, ‘specially next to Rider and Rouge. They complement each other_ really _well.”_
> 
> ~~It can’t be true.~~
> 
> _Amy’s eyes widened as she whispered to herself. “Purple hair… meek and quiet… Say, Lancer? Is Rider tall and also wearing a blindfold?”_
> 
> _“…yeah, actually,” the Child of Light replied. Everyone was looking at her in surprise, placing their full attention on her. “How’d you know?”_
> 
> _“ **Because I saw the three of them with Eggman on Prison Island!** ” she revealed. “They weren’t being held hostage or anything, so they have to have been working together!”_
> 
> ~~But… there’s no one else… it **could** be.~~
> 
> _“That’s—That’s impossible!” Shirou said. “Sakura, working with Eggman_ and _commanding a Servant…!? She could never do such a thing!”_
> 
> _“I had assumed she was a perfectly ordinary person, myself,” Saber said, somewhat perturbed. “To see that I was wrong is…”_
> 
> _It was then that all parties noticed Rin’s current state of mind._
> 
> _She was staring at her hands in shock, her gaze unfocused and dazed._
> 
> _“Tohsaka, what’s wrong?” Shirou asked._
> 
> _“Rin?” Archer called._
> 
> _She stood up, face framed in shadow._
> 
> _“I—I have to—go get some gems made,” she said. “A-Archer, keep me updated.”_
> 
> _Before anyone else could get a word in, she ran out of the room and past the front door. She didn’t care how lame her excuse was—she desperately needed some space, and it wouldn’t be in this crowded house._

“This War has been a disaster,” she murmured. “Nothing has gone the way it should. Not my summoning, not any of my plans…”

_…and I don’t know what to do about it._

She’d been steadily been feeling overwhelmed since the day she and Archer arrived on Mobius—but this finally clinched it for her.

The clock was ticking to the end of the world.

The villains were outgunning them in every way.

There were still so many variables to worry about.

And sooner or later… she might have to face **_her—_**

“Rin?”

Rin snapped herself upward, turning her head.

From her viewpoint, she could see Tails standing in the doorway.

She scrambled to look even halfway professional.

“Tails! Wh-What are you doing here?”

“Well, this _is_ my lab,” he said simply. “There’s no reason I can’t come in to check up on you.”

“O-Oh. Right.” She blushed. “I knew that.”

The kitsune pulled out a chair from his desk and sat next to her.

“So, what’s going on with you?” he asked. “You hightailed it out of my house in practically no time!”

_…I did, didn’t I?_

“It was nothing,” she tried to wave off—“I just had other things to do, like I said! A Tohsaka is too perfect to be fretting, even over bombshells like those—”

“This is about Sakura, isn’t it?”

She abruptly shut up.

“I’ve seen you angry at Shirou. I’ve seen you worried about Eggman. I’ve _never_ seen you so frozen before, hearing about Sakura’s location like we did.” He levied a look of worry at her. “You act like it doesn’t affect you, but I can tell—she’s important to you, isn’t she?”

_~~Dang it, why is he so perceptive…!~~ _

“N-No! We’re just strangers! What makes you think that?”

Tails raised an eyebrow. “Your frantic denials, for one.”

_Ack…! He’s got me there…_

“It’s… hard to explain,” Rin finally said, moving her arms back onto the desk. “I haven’t interacted with her much—”

_~~—because I don’t have a reason to; she’s not family anymore—~~ _

“—but… I never thought she’d be involved in this. Involved in Eggman’s schemes.”

“So you’ve got a soft spot for her, huh…?” Tails closed his eyes. “I guess that makes _some_ sense—but it still doesn’t explain all of your reaction. It really seemed like you knew her, and on an intimate level, too.”

The school idol bit her lip.

_…I’ve been careless._

_I thought I’d be able to at least keep some of my persona intact, but… this excursion has really been overwhelming._

_Mobius is—different from home, in so many ways. No Magecraft, no Moonlit World…_

_So then… what would everyone here think, if they knew about…?_

…

~~(For a moment, Rin remembered a red ribbon, and a final goodbye.)~~

“…it doesn’t matter,” she decided. “She’s our enemy now, and—regardless of what Shirou and Saber think—we can’t afford to show any mercy. To her, _or_ Einzbern.” She hardened her gaze, even as her mind carried a touch of anxiety. “There’s too much on the line for us to hesitate. If it comes to it, then…”

She didn’t say anything more.

Tails was a fair bit unnerved by her words.

“We don’t need to go that far,” he said. “I’m pretty sure we can talk them down!”

“But what if we can’t?” she countered. “If we fall to them, there’ll be no one left to stop Dr. Eggman! We can’t take that risk!”

“I think that’s a risk still worth taking,” Tails argued. “You’ll only have the one chance to reach out to them. Isn’t it better to try than to regret it later on?”

…

A lull in dialogue hit the air.

Both of them had some… good points, admittedly.

Given the stakes, it’s no wonder that their ideals would end up cladding heavily.

_(Still, that outlook’s way too cynical.)_

_(How can he even think that way, at a time like this…?)_

The mechanic shook his head.

“Let’s agree to disagree for now,” he relented. “I’ve got a few things to work on, and we’re gonna need them soon.”

He opened up a nearby drawer and pulled out a small metal briefcase, much like the one he had been carrying around for the last few days. He put them both on the desk and opened up—

—and Rin proceeded to gasp at the sight of **_two_** yellow Chaos Emeralds, one in each container.

_“Wh-Wha—!?”_

[“Surprised?” Tails said, without missing a beat.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99FU_1BXlWQ) “I’ve been working on it for a while now: **a fake Chaos Emerald, identical to the original**. It’s got the same wavelength and properties as the real one, though it’s nowhere near as powerful.”

“No way…” Rin was outright gaping now. “You can recreate a miracle gem like that!?”

_They’re akin to Noble Phantasms in and of themselves!_

_How much of a genius **is** this fox…!?_

“Yep, that’s right. All I need to do now is get it to reverse the energy fields of the real ones and then explode. That way, we’ll be able to sabotage the Eclipse Cannon!”

Rin smiled smugly. “Well, lucky that you have me on board! I specialize in Jewelcraft, so this is no problem for me!”

“I was hoping you’d be up for it,” Tails approved. “I was hoping to get to some other stuff too—Speed Shoes for Shirou, Magic Gloves for Sonic, a Bazooka for my Cyclone—so having you around’ll make things much easier.”

“Speed Shoes? Why does Shirou need those?”

“Well, if Shirou’s gonna hang around with Sonic, he’s gonna need a way to keep up with him. Saber can rely on her Servant magic, but Shirou can’t exactly do the same.”

“Ah.”

That made sense.

Shirou wasn’t exactly a top-tier Mage in any form, not helped by his converting his nerves into Circuits (a fact that made Rin very irritated, due to its inherent danger). It was a minor miracle he was able to even work with the speedster, given the sheer disparity between their abilities.

“Enough of that, though!” the kitsune said. He got out his toolset and array of fancy gadgets and placed them on the counter. “Let’s get to work! Ready, Rin?”

“Hmph! Of course!” She brought her hands together and cracked her fingers. “I’m gonna show that stupid doctor and Caster exactly who they’ve messed with!”

* * *

**Tails’ House – Living Room**

Meanwhile, as Tails and Rin were conducting important science, the eight heroes back in Tails’ house were…

“Aw, dang it! I lost!”

…being about as unproductive as you can imagine.

The conglomeration of heroes and mages were gathered in front of a high-res TV, hooked up to a clearly well-cared-for SEGA Dreamcast. _ChuChu Rocket!_ was currently being displayed on the screen, a match just having concluded.

On the couch sat Sonic, Amy, Bazett, and Lancer, each holding a controller in hand. The pink hedgehog in question was shuffling in her seat, pouting cutely.

“Phew! That was _tight!”_ Sonic grinned, leaning back against the leather. “Told ya I’d be able to trash y’all easily! Stuff like this is my specialty!”

 _(“Showoff,”_ Knuckles scoffed.)

“Hey, that’s only ‘cause I barely know how to work this thing!” Bazett protested. If there existed a record for ‘amount of times fiddled with controller’, she’d be on top. “It was chaos, too—what the heck even is this!?”

“Aw, come on, Bazett!” Lancer laughed. “This may not be my usual type of battle royale, but it’s a fun time nevertheless!” He turned to the three standing next to the wall—Knuckles, Saber, and Archer. “How ‘bout you three? You wanna have a go?”

Knuckles shook his head.

“I will pass for now,” Saber said. “Meals from Shirou come first.”

Archer snorted. “I’ll stay out of this, thanks. _Somebody_ needs to be on guard in case something happens.”

The spearman shrugged. “Suit yourself!”

A ding sounded from the kitchen. _“Saber!”_ Shirou’s voice sang. _“Dinner’s ready!”_

The King of Knights wasted no time in rushing over to the dinner table.

The resident red guardians sweatdropped.

“Jeez…” Knuckles said. “Her obsession with food is really something else…!”

“Now you know how we feel,” the bowman muttered. “That stomach of hers knows no bounds.”

Back on the couch, Amy tightened her grip on her controller. “Ugh…! I won’t let you win, Sonic! I promise, this rematch will be different!”

“Same here,” Bazett said, a serious expression on her face. “I’ve got a hand on this now. Don’t expect me to be as easy a target!”

“Ha ha ha! That’s the spirit!” Lancer said. “Let’s see how you two fare this time!”

“I’m always up for a second round!” Sonic cheered. “Alright—bring it on!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter’s title is derived from the lyrics to Knuckles’ theme, _Unknown from M.E._
> 
> I know I said I’d do the second Tails vs. Eggman encounter next, but then I realized I hadn’t written a single scene with all of Team Heroes together yet.
> 
> And not only that, neither Shirou nor Rin know about where Sakura is right now.
> 
> Time to fix that!
> 
> I always thought it was hilarious how Knuckles joins up with Sonic, Tails, and Amy in SA2, abruptly popping out of a sewer grate with extreme nonchalance. I wanted to take care to highlight that, while also throwing Bazett and Lancer into the mix. It makes the scene exponentially longer, but what can you do with this many characters.
> 
> I also threw in the heroes’ reaction to the Emiya-Einzbern sibling reveal. Gotta have that _somewhere_ in this fic, and I’m not making it its own separate chapter.
> 
> The meeting was going to be its own separate section, but I couldn’t get it to flow the way I wanted to. Instead, I interspersed three flashbacks to it as necessary and filled in the rest of the scene with a heartfelt talk between Rin and Tails. I also threw in Tails’ fake Chaos Emerald, so that it’d have a little more substance in SA2’s plot. (Seriously, that plot thread kind of came out of nowhere. I don’t _dislike_ it, especially compared to _Forces’_ nonsense, but still…)
> 
> Well, that’s all for now – tune in next time for the last bit of fluff, before we descend into the end!


End file.
